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The children’s social care reforms began with the Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy (2023) and have been expanded through the Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive policy and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (introduced in 2024, currently in the House of Lords and expected to receive Royal Assent in early 2026). This Bill will embed key reforms into law, including Family Help, multi-agency child protection teams, and Family Group Decision Making (FGDM). These changes are widely regarded as the most significant overhaul since the Children Act 1989
The Families First Partnership Programme, launched by the Department for Education in March 2025, is the delivery mechanism for these reforms. Its aim is to create a joined-up, family-focused system that intervenes earlier, strengthens families, and improves child protection.
Key Components
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Integrated Early Help Offer: collaborative partnership working to ensure faster and seamless support, without repeated assessments. This includes shared referral pathways and planning.
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Family-Led Decision Making (FLDM): empowering families with a stronger voice and ownership in creating plans that reflect their strengths and ambitions.
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Multi-Agency Collaboration: strengthening joint working through shared training, partnership forums, and co-delivery of support, ensuring a shared language, consistent expectations, and holistic practice.
Families First Project Team
The team will coordinate activity and drive delivery across the programme, strengthening local partnership arrangements and support continuous improvement.
Co-production and what's next
The programme aims to build on the strengths of our local community networks - across voluntary, community, youth sectors, and statutory services such as health and schools - rather than duplicate them.
The next phase will focus on deepening collaboration. Co‑production - with partners, practitioners, children, young people, and families - will be central to shaping how Family Help develops locally. Together, we will ensure we embed national social care reforms in a way that reflects our local strengths and community priorities.
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