Dorset Council has been recognised for its ground-breaking work with children and families and has been selected as one of three local authorities to be a pathfinder in the government’s new programme to ensure families are better supported.
Families First for Children is the name the government is using for its project to implement some of the most significant reforms to Family Help, child protection, kinship care and safeguarding partners in recent years.
Work will start on the programme in the autumn and the three local authorities (Dorset Council, Lincolnshire County Council and City of Wolverhampton Council) will work with police, health and education in their areas over the following two years. The programme will attract funding for the Dorset Council area to help with the implementation.
Councillor Byron Quayle, portfolio holder for children, education, skills and early help, said: “We put families at the heart of all the work we do so it’s great to see that Dorset Council has been recognised as a leading light in the work of children’s services.
“Our last full Ofsted inspection said the service had outstanding leadership so I am confident we have the skills and experience to be able to carry out the work the government is asking of us.
In addition we have a really strong partnership across police, health and education and together we are already working on many of the things listed as part of the programme such as Family Hubs and our work on Safeguarding Families Together.
The programme is about putting families first and part of that approach will mean we will be working with our children, young people and families to design services with them.”
The launch of the programme follows the publication a year ago of the final report of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (Care Review) and of Child Protection in England which was a national review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson.
The programme will work to support the outcomes for the Children’s Social Care National Framework for children, young people and families to stay together and get the help they need, be supported by their family network, be safe in and outside of their homes and for children in care and care leavers have stable, loving homes.
Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister, Claire Coutinho, said:
“We committed earlier this year to deliver wide-ranging reforms that put strong relationships at the heart of the children’s social care system, to make sure children in care receive the same love and stability as everyone else.
“Today, we take a step closer to achieving just that, thanks to the ambition Dorset is showing for the life chances of their most vulnerable children.
“The programme they are running will inform future reform across England to give every child the best possible chance to grow up in their family, delivering on the Prime Minister’s ambition to support families across the country.”
Councillor Quayle added: ““We are a learning organisation and we see this as a wonderful opportunity to work though how to improve areas of our work even further together with our partners to provide better outcomes for children, young people and families in Dorset as well as to share the things we learn with others.”
