Early support for families
About Family and Relationship Services
This program provides early intervention and prevention services for:
- families at risk of breakdown
- children at risk of abuse or neglect
- families at risk of experiencing disadvantage or vulnerability.
The program includes:
- referral and support
- education and skills training
- counselling and dispute resolution
- community outreach, capacity building and development.
These early intervention and prevention services aim to support families going through change.
Eligibility
The program may help families going through separation or blended families who are introducing new family members. Recipients of the service may include:
- individuals
- children and young people
- couples
- kinship carers such as grandparents
- extended family who have caring responsibilities.
Funding
Services providers are funded until 30 June 2026.
Guidelines, plans and reporting
Services providers must follow a set of guidelines. They must also submit plans and progress reports.
The Families and Children Activity Outcomes Framework outlines the key outcomes funded programs and services need to achieve.
Operational guidelines
The operational guidelines help providers work in a consistent, coordinated and cooperative way.
The guidelines explain how to deliver services and provides answers to common questions. The guidelines also provide information about how to report critical incidents.
Read the Operational Guidelines for Family and Relationship Services.
Activity Work Plans
Family and Relationship Services providers must submit Activity Work Plans. The requirements are set out in your grant agreement.
The Activity Work Plan guidance document and template helps providers complete their plan.
- Read the Families and Children AWP Guidance document
- Download the Families and Relationship Services Activity Work Plan template.
Review point
We review the performance of program providers. This helps check that grant activities are on track. It also identifies areas for improvement. The review allows us to work together for better outcomes for families and children.
View the Review Point assessment criteria in the Operational Guidelines for Family and Relationship Services.
Critical incident reporting
FaC Activity service providers must notify the department of critical incidents within 48 hours of the incident or within 48 hours of becoming aware of incidents.
To notify the department, service providers should fill out the critical incident reporting template and email it to their Funding Arrangement Manager. Funding Arrangement Manager details are in the grant agreement.
Download the Critical incident reporting template.
Program resources
These resources help Family and Relationship Services providers.