Dorset to trial early help scheme to avoid children being taken into care
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
A pilot scheme to offer early help to families where there is a risk of children being taken into care is to launch in Dorset.
The county has been selected by the charity Family Rights Group for the 15-month pilot which aims to “create the conditions for families to get the help they and their children need at an earlier stage”.
This involves a focus on partnership working to offer coordinated early help, involving families, social workers, the Dorset Family Court and other local support services.
Another strand of the pilot is to ensure families better understand, and are able to address, social worker concerns “and have their voices heard”.
To shape the pilot families are to work with local social workers, social care leaders and family court workers to identify areas of early help in Dorset that are working well “but also what needs to improve”.
The pilot in the county is part of the charity’s wider work to improve pre-proceedings work with children and families as a way of averting the need for children being taken into care.
“At a time when record numbers of children are in the care system, the Dorset pilot presents a unique opportunity to help safely avert the need for care proceedings by supporting the child welfare and family justice system to deliver early, effective partnership working with children and families,” said Family Rights Group chief executive Cathy Ashley.
Dorset Council’s executive director for people Theresa Leavy added: “We are looking forward to working within the broader systems our families and children experience, boosting collaboration, focusing on people’s strengths and restoring relationships.”
The Dorset pilot is funded through a three-year grant from the Legal Education Foundation and evaluation will be shared to support other areas to improve pre-proceedings work.
Improved early help for families before care proceedings was among recommendations made by the Public Law Working Group’s report in 2021. This was set up by in president of the family division Sir Andrew McFarlane and involved justice and social work professionals.
“The aim of the Dorset pilot to reimagine pre-proceedings is consistent with the recommendations of the Public Law Working Group report,” said McFarlane.
“I am glad that the messages in the report are being put into effect on the ground in Dorset. It is my earnest hope that we will begin to see a real improvement in the system’s ability to address the needs of the children and families at the centre of these important cases," he added.
