Guidance published this week around the FFP sets “a clear expectation on all councils and their partners to reform family support services locally to enable earlier intervention and better protect children from harm”, said the Department for Education.
This includes creating a single “front door” to support services in every area and ensuring help is well signposted for families with complex needs, including those with mental health issues, disabilities and substance abuse problems.
Multi-agency family hubs, involving health visitors and housing support officers, and improved digital support are among actions councils will be expected to take.
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Family Support Special Report - key policy developments
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Blog: Families First for Children partnerships
“For too long, vulnerable children and families have been left to struggle – battling fragmented services and receiving support when it’s too late,” said children and families minister Janet Daby.
In a blog to coincide with Social Work Week for CYP Now, Daby highlights the workforce improvements needed alongside the reforms, with recent data showing some benefit from existing measures.
"But in the system we’ve inherited, social workers have been overlooked for too long," she writes, adding: "There is a shortage of these key workers, with appallingly high workloads and too much red tape that holds them back from spending crucial time with children and families.
"We’re seeing more areas embrace digital solutions, such as AI, to help their social workers pull together important notes about their cases more quickly – ensuring more time on the frontline.
"We’re committed to empowering the workforce and already, we’re seeing green shoots."
The grant funding doubles early help for families with complex needs under the previous Conservative administration.
It includes £270mn to fund a new Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant. This was announced last November and in February was increased by £20mn from its original £250mn total.
In addition, £253.5mn is being made available through a Children and Families Grant, which is funding that was originally earmarked for the Supporting Families programme, a Conservative early help initiative first called the Troubled Families programme.
Ahead of the programme’s launch, Families First for Children pathfinder areas tested out models of help, including using family hubs.
Evidence from these pathfinders showed that families valued the “independence and neutrality” of support when it was offered by professionals with no prior involvement in their help.
The launch of the FFP has been welcomed by the Children’s Charities Coalition, whose members include Action for Children, Barnardo’s, National Children's Bureau, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society.
“Early intervention has the potential to keep vulnerable children and young people with their families, prevent problems from escalating, and reduce costs for strained local services,” it said.
“Therefore, we welcome the Families First Partnership Programme as a positive step forward in providing timely help.”
But the coalition warns that “spending on early intervention is still far lower than what was spent on these services in 2010”.
It also points out that while FFP funding for the next year is a “much needed down payment” the government needs to commit to “sustained funding” for early help in its forthcoming Spending Review.
National Children’s Bureau chief executive Anna Feuchtwang said the FFP presents “a huge opportunity to reorient child and family services towards enabling and supporting wellbeing”.
She added that it was it was important that families with “all children, including those with disabilities, are able to benefit”.
Dr Jo Casebourne, chief executive of Foundations, the government-funded what works centre for children & families, urged councils to use the available evidence on how to make a positive difference to families when delivering the programme.
“It’s crucial that local practice is informed by evidence about what works to support families, protect children, and help them thrive,” said Casebourne, highlighting Foundations’ Practice Guides, commissioned by the DfE, as a key source, with the latest on Parenting Through Adversity.
“We welcome the ‘family first’ approach that the FFP Guide takes to decision-making about children’s care," said Casebourne, adding: "The proposed requirement for local councils to offer family-led meetings early is underpinned by our findings that Family Group Conferences before court proceedings can prevent children going into care and help keep them safely with their families.
“We look forward to working with local leaders and partners to implement evidence-based practice that can transform the lives of children, young people and families across the country."
