Over
the past two years, national reviews and strategies have set a clear direction
for reform in Children’s Social Care. At the heart of this transformation is
the Families First Partnership Programme, which is testing new ways of working
to help us intervene earlier, support families more effectively, and ensure
children are protected and able to thrive within their family networks.
At
the September Family Help Board, the branding for the programme was formally
agreed – see logo. While this branding does not replace individual partner
identities, it unites us under a shared commitment: helping families at the
earliest possible point.
On
26 August, we launched the Oldbury Families First pilot, bringing together the
Oldbury Assessment & Intervention (A&I) team and the Strengthening
Families team into one unified Oldbury Families First team. All new work coming
into Oldbury—whether through a contact or an Early Help Assessment—is now
reviewed in MASH and directed to the new team. Managers triage families
collaboratively to identify the most appropriate practitioner to lead support
for each family. This marks an exciting step forward in trialling a new way of
working aligned with national reforms.
From
8 September, partners officially joined the pilot. The team now holds daily
Family Allocation Meetings, where all agencies contribute to the support
package offered to each child and family. A huge thank you to everyone who has
worked so hard to get us to this point. Further updates will follow as the
pilot progresses.
Naturally,
as we go live, questions and queries are emerging—which is expected as we test
and refine this new approach. For any questions about the programme, please
contact: ffp@sandwellchildrenstrust.org