Social Exclusion, Poverty, Health and Social Care in Tower Hamlets: The Perspectives of Families on the Impact of the Family Support Service

to Ben Gray, 6B Park Road, Wivenhoe, Essex CO7 9NB, UK. Summary This paper describes the work of the Family Welfare Association's(FWA's) Tower Hamlets Family Support Services projects (FSSs).Tower Hamlets is a multiracial area in East London, which accordingto the 1991 census has high levels of poverty, overcrowdingand unemployment. Increasing poverty and social exclusion, whichfurther entrench inequalities in health, are reported by sourcessuch as Government, health and social services departments asrequiring innovative local responses to meet pressing welfareneeds. Innovative projects are especially urgent with vulnerablefamilies whose experiences of racism, bullying, mental healthdifficulties, domestic violence and child abuse are the rulerather than the exception. In common with other initiativesin the United Kingdom and abroad, the FSS aims to be non-stigmatizing,non-intrusive and responsive to the ethnicity, views and specificneeds of families. The paper focuses on the FSS's participatorywork with families to illustrate effective methods of qualitysupport, detail outcomes and draw lessons for policy and practice.