The Intensive Family Preservation (IFP) Program provides intensive interventions to work towards improving children’s safety, placement permanency and wellbeing. IFP is a family focused, and community-based service designed to help families cope with significant stressors impacting their ability to nurture their children.

What does the program do?

This time-limited program can provide casework, practical assistance, emotional support and skill development interventions.. Almost all interventions take place in the home (or the immediate community) and families are taught basic skills which can include how to use transportation, manage a budget, navigate the necessary social services,  develop their knowledge and skills around child development, increase parenting skills, emotional regulation, communication and confidence. IFP also links families with health and/or counselling support. Services and educational strategies are tailored to the families’ self-identified needs, goals and values. Safety, child wellbeing and permanency are the primary focus of interventions.

How it operates?

IFP operates through 2 phases - an intensive 12 week intervention where a worker visits families twice per week and provides further support via phone; and a 12 week ‘step-down’ period of less intensive but tailored casework.

If required, a further period of intervention can be negotiated. 

Who is eligible?

Families can be referred into the IFP program, where:

• At least one carer is willing and available to work in the IFP program towards specified case goals.
• Children 14 years and older agree to involvement in the IFP program.
• The family has some strengths, resources or social supports that can be used to increase parenting capacity.
• Intensive case management support is needed to address family issues.
• Children have been assessed as being at risk of significant harm.
• A safety and risk assessment for the family shows the safety decision as ‘Safe’ or ‘Safe with Plan’ and risk is ‘High’ or ‘Very High’; OR a child in an authorised care arrangement is facing significant concerns for placement stability; OR a child in out of home care has a restoration assessment where intensive support is required.

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