Case Study – Early Intervention Organisation I
An early stage intervention organisation offering respite and support services to families. The service offers non judgemental and approachable, flexible support to families experiencing issues relating to addiction, stress, crisis or isolation.
Clients supported are those who may be living in circumstances where no respite is available. The organisation helps individuals attend support groups, or allows those struggling to cope with single parenthood to have time away from their children. They work with parents of children ages birth to 16 years (or 18 years if the child has a disability).
Many clients are marginalised by society and the organisation works to enable them to move towards independent living and to build self confidence, social integration, improve educational attainment and cultural development. The organisation delivers support via 5 bespoke intervention projects.
Funding is sourced through a complex cocktail of funders. The Questant Process considered the individual projects and the throughput of clients as well as the return to funders.
There was a considerable impact of one particular strand of support involving intensive 1:1 interventions when displacement, tax and benefit gains were researched. Challenged individuals with complex needs, who need integrated delivery from a number of statutory and voluntary agencies, are a high cost to the national economy and, if through organisations such as this, demand on services is reduced through individuals being able to cope better themselves, then there is a saving to the public purse.
The organisation’s work is contributing to a reduction in demands on the public purse in a number of ways dependant on the individual service provided. Through their early intervention work in respite care they can reduce the stress parents may be under, allow them to attend support meetings that they would otherwise be unable to attend, leading to reduced addictions and thereby increasing self-esteem, self-confidence and the capability to better deal with society, encouraging independence and self-reliance, including signposting to education and employability.
This increase in independence and self-reliance leads to fewer demands on statutory services and may also lead to the potential of entering education or an increased chance of employability for the individual, allowing further integration into wider society.
Through adding value to society the organisation meets a number of policy areas outside the more traditional support areas including education, social inclusion, health and employability remits.
The Process report demonstrated that the organisation provides very good value for money for funders. The organisation is regulated by the Care Commission and as a consequence of undertaking a two year Questant report, they were able to demonstrate a positive return, which in turn led to an improved standing with the Care Commission. An excellent outcome for the organisation and its funders.