50 years of family service units

Abstract

1948 was not only the year that saw the establishment of the National Health Service and The Children Act 1948, it also was the founding year of Family Service Units (FSU). FSU is younger than the larger child care charities, and unlike its sister organisations: Children's Society, Barnardos, and NCH Action for Children, its roots are not in the church, but in the pacifist movement during the Second World War. Given its radical traditions, it has been influential in social work and child care practice well beyond what would be expected of an organisation of its size. Having been established by individuals who took enormous personal risks for their beliefs, FSU has always been characterised by staff, trustees and volunteers of enormous conviction and passion. This is evident in the description of the development of the organisation over the last fifty years. FSU now has twenty-one units around Britain delivering a wide variety of family support services. Each unit is locally funded and develops its particular mix of services based on local need: anti-bullying work, work to combat domestic violence, support to survivors of abuse, support to refugees and asylum seekers, are examples of specialist work locally designed and delivered. At the core of every unit, however, is a commitment to family casework that grew out of FSU's history. It had a different starting point from the Children Act 1948, and has maintained its commitment to that original premise throughout the years, children's needs are best met within the family, and only by helping parents to provide adequately for their children, will there be good outcomes for the whole family.