From tea and sympathy to optimal matching of need: Developing a shared vision for a community-based family support service

There is consensus within child welfare services that the provision of timely and effective support to families in the community is of critical importance in terms of protecting children. "Family support" is a term used to refer to a broad range of activities aimed at supporting the functioning of families. It is generally accepted that such service provision should be attractive and accessible to families and delivered in partnership with them, yet very often services are designed without the input of families and are guided by a professional view of what families need. This article outlines the findings of research undertaken to inform the development of a new family support service in an Irish town, which sought the opinions of both potential service users and service providers about what a family support service should offer. It focuses particularly on disparities of opinion between service providers and potential service users in terms of how families should access family support services, areas of perceived need for support, and around desirable attributes of the family support worker. The process used to reconcile divergent views is outlined, as is the impact of the findings on the family support practice in question. The research involved a structured survey of potential service users and service providers and a facilitated session to agree a shared vision for the service. The purpose of the article is to describe and critically analyse a process for agreeing a shared vision of family support between families and professionals.