Dancing to a bold new tune

Family Service Units (FSU), a national voluntary organisation providing a wide range of family support services from 21 local units, recognises the benefits of partnership between statutory and voluntary agencies. Families with multiple needs are often referred to FSU by statutory social workers who are frequently unable to provide intensive care in the same time-consuming ways as a voluntary body. FSU's family social work is paid for by the local authority while many of the specialist services it provides are paid for by corporate donors, the National Lottery, trusts or public fundraising.