Families First for Children

Warwickshire has been successful in its application to the DfE for Wave 2 of the Families First for Children Pathfinder Programme. This is a national test and learn initiative following the publication of the government response (Stable Homes, Built on Love) to the independent review of children’s social care by Josh McAllister.

All local authorities are expected to implement the recommendations by 2027 and by becoming a pathfinder, we are going to be at the forefront of these once in a lifetime reforms.

The Pathfinder Programme vision is to rebalance children’s social care away from costly crisis intervention to more meaningful and effective early support. The pathfinder will deliver new delivery models for family help, child protection, family networks and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements ahead of a national transformation. In particular they will be multi agency teams, which will be a great benefit to families and practitioners.

We are confident that the Pathfinder changes will make a real positive difference to children and families in Warwickshire but understand that for some of you may have some anxiety around change. Our aim is to continue to communicate and engage but also to codesign with you over the coming months as we begin to develop our plans for the future.

Find information about Warwickshire's Families First resources.

We want to hear from you! If you have any questions or thoughts regarding Warwickshire Families First, please get in touch via: FamiliesFirst@warwickshire.gov.uk

Areas of reform

There are four key reform strands to the Families First for Children Pathfinder that will be delivered as a whole system transformation. Find out more about the areas of reform:

You can also read about the latest updates of Families First in our Bulletins:

1. Introducing Warwickshire's Families First for Children programme - a collaborative partnership involving Warwickshire County Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board and Warwickshire Police to improve services and early support for children, young people and families.

Families First Bulletin - First Edition (MS Sway)

2. The Family Networks programme is live - supporting families who require further assessment with family network meetings and support packages.

Families First Bulletin - Second Edition (MS Sway)

3. Launch of Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Partnership - dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of children and young people across Warwickshire.

Families First Bulletin - Third Edition (MS Sway)

4. A new Family Network Meeting animation - explaining what a Family Network meeting is and how it can support families, children and young people.

Families First Bulletin - Fourth Edition (MS Sway)

5. The new Multi-Agency Child Protection Team is live – how it will be responsible for all child protection decisions made in Warwickshire.

Families First Bulletin - Fifth Edition (MS Sway)

6. Families First Multi Agency roadshows sharing changes - Family Connect, Early Support, Family Help and the Relational Practice Framework.

Families First Bulletin - Sixth Edition (MS Sway)

7. An overview of how the Families First changes will impact Early Help services, now known as Early Support, in Warwickshire

Families First Bulletin - Seventh Edition (MS Sway)