We are aware that there are a many abbreviations used within Safe Families, and wider, which are not always the easiest to remember- here is a list of what people mean...
Job Roles
FST / FSM - Family Support Team / Family Support Manager (SFSM - Senior Family Support Manager)
CVT / CVM - Community Volunteer Team / Community Volunteer Manager (SCVM - Senior Community Volunteer Manager)
RAC - Referrals and Admin Coordinator
SLT - Senior Leadership Team
PD - Programme Director
Safe Families Terms
Approvals panel- the panel meeting where volunteers have to be accepted to be put through the approvals process
CF- Connect Friend
FF- Family Friend
FPV- Family Picture Visit- Visit by Family Support Managers to families to get a picture of the situation, get consent forms and decide goals
FSM- Family Support Manager
HF- Host Family
IFP- Initial Family Picture- a picture of the family completed by the RAC having communicated with the referrer.
Introduction visit- The visit to introduce volunteers and families
PO- Post Out
RF- Resource friend
Local Authority terms
CAO- Child Arrangement Order- a legal order where the court decides either where a child will live or who a child can spend time with and for how long.
CIN- Child in Need
CLA/LAC- Child looked after (in care)
CPP- Child Protection Plan
CSC- Children’s Social Care
EDT-Emergency Duty Team (out of hours)
EH- Early Help
FGC- Family Group Conference- a decision-making meeting in which a child's wider family network comes together to plan around meeting the needs of the child/ren.
FIS- Family Intervention Service
HV- Health Visitor
LA- Local Authority
NRPF- No Recourse to Public Funds- Many migrants in the UK have no recourse to public funds, which means that they cannot access mainstream benefits and housing assistance. The definition of a ‘public fund’ includes jobseekers’ allowance, housing benefit and social housing. It does not include compulsory education or the NHS.
PLO- Public Law Outline- the process which takes place when the Local Authority is concerned about a child’s wellbeing and unless positive steps are taken to address and alleviate those concerns, the Local Authority may consider making an application to the Court. The PLO process is therefore the last opportunity for parents to make improvements to their parenting before care proceedings are issued.
Supervision Order- Gives the local authority the legal power to monitor the child's needs and progress while the child lives at home or somewhere else. A social worker will advise, help and befriend the child. In practice, this will mean they give help and support to the family as a whole. We sometimes read that in a referral that the children are home under a supervision order which can be for one year or more. If during this period the children remain at risk of significant harm, the supervision order gives the local authority the power to remove the children.
SW- Social Worker
SFSW – Senior Family Support Worker
TAC/TAF- Team Around the Child/Family- a network of practitioners who work together to agree a plan and delivery of support to meet a child or young person's assessed needs, and to some extent, needs of the family where these impact on the child or young person. FSMs can be invited to TAF meetings as part of the network of support.
TAS – Team Around the School
Family terms
ACES – adverse childhood experiences
MGF- Maternal Grandfather
MGM- Maternal Grandmother
MGP- Maternal Grandparents
PGF- Paternal Grandfather
PGM- Paternal Grandmother
PGP- Paternal Grandparents
PR- Parental Responsibility- the legal term for the rights and responsibilities that parents have for their children. Parents automatically have PR if they are on a child’s birth certificate. It can only be removed via court orders.
SGO- Special Guardianship Order- a formal court order which places a child or young person with someone (usually grandparents or other relatives) permanently and gives this person parental responsibility for the child.
UBB- Unborn baby
Please let Anna Pilgrim know if you have anything else to add to the list!