Institute of Education London

Islington Family Nurse Partnership Development Project: Working with looked after young people and care leavers

Research Summary
The Islington Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a model of intensive, nurse-led home visiting for vulnerable, young first time parents. The program involves regularly scheduled home visits by a nurse, from pregnancy until two years after birth of the child. This project was commissioned to work with young people who are in care, or are care leavers, who become pregnant or become parents. Overall, the project aimed to inform the development of strategies that NHS Islington could pursue to overcome barriers to accessing FNP support for looked after young people who are care leavers. This was done by examining:

a) the scale of the issue, by exploring available data about young people in care and care leavers who may be eligible for the FNP programme;
b) the role of FNP as a source of support for young people who are in care or care leavers and who become pregnant and/or parents; and
c) barriers and facilitators in delivering FNP to looked after young people and care leavers.

Methods
The research objectives were addressed through three components of work, carried out in Islington and in another inner-London borough, selected to provide a comparison site:

1. a review of available national and local data on FNP clients and on children looked after and leaving care;
2. group and individual interviews with 26 professional stakeholders, including FNP nurses and representatives of local authority services (e.g. social care and parenting support); and
3. one-to-one interviews with young people involved with FNP in Islington and the comparison area. This included seven women who were pregnant and parents who were in care or care leavers, and one father whose partner was a care leaver.