Almost a third of councils get innovation funding

The money has been awarded through the Department for Education Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, to pilot improvements to children’s social work, including early intervention initiatives and commissioning care.

In a letter to successful councils detailing payment arrangements, DfE director Graham Archer reveals that by the end of February, 45 of 152 English authorities have been awarded a total of £59.4m, to be handed out over five instalments across 2015.

Archer says in his letter to councils that supporting families where teenagers are at risk of being taken into care is a key priority for the fund.

He adds: “The Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme supports the development, testing and spreading of more effective ways of supporting children and families who need help from children’s social care services.”

The largest grant handed out so far is to Leeds City Council. It has received £5m to offer early intervention support to troubled families with complex needs. This will have a strong focus on family group conferencing and ensuring conflicts do not escalate. 

Another large handout is to Hertfordshire County Council, which has received £4.86m to set up 26 family safeguarding teams in which social workers are trained in psychological counselling to better support families. The teams also include domestic abuse specialists and have a strong focus on better use of technology with teams using “electronic workbooks” to record assessments.

Among the most recent awards from the fund, which is set to hand out £100m in total, has been to Hackney Council to develop an intensive support programme for young people at risk of gang involvement and child sexual exploitation. This will take place away from those neighbourhoods in the borough that have a strong gang presence.

The letter states that decisions on the allocation of the remaining money will be made by the end of March.