DfE commits to fresh funding for social care innovation programme

A Department for Education (DfE) strategy document for 2015–2020, published today, reveals that the department is “continuing to fund the Innovation Programme to support fresh and effective approaches to children’s social care” as part of efforts to create an “environment for excellent practice where innovation flourishes”.

The Innovation Programme was first announced by children’s minister Edward Timpson in October 2013. The fund, which was initially created as a two-year programme, handed out £30m to a variety of organisations in 2014/15, followed by a further £70m in 2015/16.

The DfE is yet to announce how much will be available for 2016/17, or details of how many years funding will be available for.

Projects funded through the programme so far have included the tri-borough councils of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster, which received £4m to “completely redesign” the delivery of children’s social care.

Meanwhile, Hackney-based Pause Project, which helps women who have had successive children taken into care was given £3m to expand the programme to other authorities.

And Eileen Munro’s Signs of Safety initiative will receive £4.8m to work with 10 local authorities – Wakefield, Norfolk, West Sussex, Brent, Suffolk, Tower Hamlets, Leicestershire, Wokingham, Bristol and Lincolnshire – to “rethink processes, reporting structures and systems so that social workers can work more intensively with families”.

Writing in the document, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “This government won’t shy away from seeking the best for every child, wherever they are.

"But we do understand how hard it is to deliver the high standards they really need – especially in our toughest schools, colleges and communities. So we’ll do more to offer support where it’s most needed.”

In total, the DfE strategy document sets out 12 strategic priorities for the DfE for the period up to 2020.

Of these, eight relate to the education system. The remaining four are: develop early years strategy; strengthen children’s social care; support and protect vulnerable children; and build character and resilience.

The strategy document states that the publication sets out “the starting point for our ambitious programme of work over the coming years”.

“Over the coming months we’ll be setting out our approach to each of our priorities in more detail – engaging closely with the relevant sectors on major changes,” the document states.

“We will continue to develop specific policies that will deliver these priorities whilst working with each sector to ensure every part of the strategy can be implemented as effectively as possible.”