Children in and on the edge of care will benefit from £84
million of new investment for projects designed to
strengthen and support families - marking the 30th
anniversary of the Children Act by reaffirming its core
principle that, where possible, children are best brought
up with their parents.
Up to 20 councils will receive funding to help improve
their practice, supporting families to stay together
wherever appropriate, so that fewer children need to be
taken into care and giving them the best chance to succeed
in life.
Three ‘early adopters’ have been unveiled to deliver one of
three landmark projects originally run through the
Department for Education’s Innovation Programme:
Darlington, Cambridgeshire and Middlesbrough.
The launch of the government’s Strengthening Families,
Protecting Children programme will
start work to roll out the three successful projects to
other eligible councils, where there are persistently high
numbers of children being taken into care.
Education Secretary said:
Every child deserves to grow up in a stable, loving
family and go through life confident that someone always
has your back. But for too many children, this is simply
not a reality. With the number of children in care
rising, many of these children face a far starker version
of reality, one where their parents are in the grips of
their own nightmare, through mental health problems, the
trauma of domestic violence or an addiction.
We must assist those parents facing difficulties and work
with them to strengthen their family relationships so
they can properly support their children. In the year
that sees the 30th anniversary of the Children’s Act, we
must stay true to its heart – that where possible and
safe, children are best brought up, loved and supported
by their parents.
As a government, we want to strengthen families so that,
wherever possible, they stay together and provide their
children with a safe and stable home life. As Education
Secretary, it’s my job to make sure what works to keep
families together and change lives, is available to more
children and families in need.
The projects were originally developed by Leeds,
Hertfordshire and North Yorkshire councils – all rated
‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. They aim to build
resilience among more vulnerable families and improve how
councils design and run services. They also support social
workers to confidently identify where families can stay
together in the home safely, without putting children or
partners at risk.
The three projects being introduced in 20 new areas are:
-
Leeds Family
Valued: working with the whole family unit and any
support network to encourage long term changes at home
that keep children safe, working with families rather
than imposing measures on them. Independent evaluation of
the project’s impact on the target population shows that
between 2011 and 2017, Leeds reduced the number of
children on children’s services Protection Plans by
nearly 50% (974 in 2011 down to 515 in 2017).
-
Hertfordshire
Family Safeguarding: creates teams consisting of
mental health practitioners, domestic abuse workers,
probation officers and children’s social workers to
strengthen the bond between couples, support fathers and
male partners to prevent violent behaviour. Evaluation
shows this resulted in a 39% reduction in the number of
days children spent in care, for cases allocated to the
safeguarding team, a 53% drop in in hospital admissions
for adults in that family, and a 66% reduction in contact
with the police.
-
North Yorkshire No
Wrong Door: creates ‘hubs’ where young people at risk
of going into care get targeted support to cope with the
multiple issues they face, including lack of
accommodation or contact with the police. Independent
evaluation showed the programme saw a 38% fall in arrests
of individuals involved during the first 18 months of the
programme and a 57% reduction in A&E visits.
Jenny Coles, Director of Children’s Services at
Hertfordshire County Council, said:
This enlightened approach has helped so many families in
Hertfordshire. I’m proud of what the safeguarding team
has achieved and the difference they are continuing to
make for children in our county by turning accepted
practice on its head and managing safeguarding in a
totally different way.
The success of this innovative project is down to the
partnership approach we have taken to implement this new
way of working across such a large geographical area and
the individuals working in the safeguarding team, whose
enthusiasm has driven this ambitious project.
I am pleased our model has been recognised by government
and we look forward to working with other councils to
share our learning and help implement the family
safeguarding approach to achieve positive outcomes for
children across the country.
Steve Walker, Director of Children and Families at Leeds
City Council, said:
Leeds Children and Families services are excited to be
part of the Strengthening Families programme. We are keen
to work with colleagues in other authorities to improve
outcomes for children. We are looking forward to sharing
the approach we’ve developed in making Leeds a Child
Friendly City – using restorative practice to change the
way we work with children and families, supporting social
workers to develop excellent practice and creating new
services to reduce the impact of domestic violence.
Outcomes for children in care are poor compared with their
peers. They are half as likely to meet the expected
standards at age 11 and are a quarter as likely to achieve
good GCSEs. Into adulthood they continue to have poor
outcomes: 39% of all care leavers are “not in education,
employment or training” against 12% of their peers, and are
five times more likely to experience the criminal justice
system.
The new drive will help avoid taking children into care
when they can be kept safely with their family, while the
department continues to raise the bar in helping young
people in by recruiting the next generation of talented
social workers and providing a spectrum of support to care
leavers.
The first three local authorities to benefit from this
programme - Darlington, Cambridgeshire and Middlesbrough –
have started discussions and are due to start work soon.
Eligible councils must meet a core criteria of being rated
‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted and having either high or
rising rates of children in care over the last three years.
Cllr Simon Bywater, Chairman of Cambridgeshire County
Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee said:
This is incredibly exciting news that will make a real
difference to the lives of our most vulnerable children
and mean that – when it is in their best interests – more
children can stay safely at home. We know that this
approach will work as it has been successfully rolled out
in neighbouring Peterborough and will put children’s
services in Cambridgeshire at the forefront of innovation
and best practice.
Suzanne Joyner, Darlington Borough Council’s Director of
Children and Adult’s Services, said:
We’re thrilled to be one of the early adopters in the
Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme.
I’ve been impressed with the impact of the Family Valued
project in Leeds and look forward to seeing it make a
positive difference to the lives of families and children
in Darlington.
Helen Watson, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Director of
Children’s Services, said:
Ensuring children have the best possible start in life is
one or our key priorities, and central to that is keeping
families together wherever possible.
The right sort of support and timely intervention can
prevent the need for children coming into care, and that
brings with it enormous long-term benefits.
This welcome project will help us further develop and
strengthen our approach, and will undoubtedly change
lives for the better.
