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Over the past month, work has focused on aligning local plans with national reforms and supporting a joined-up approach across key workstreams.
The Programme Team have been working with partners to plan future workforce development. They have been looking to identify the knowledge, skills and support practitioners will need as the reforms progress. As part of this work, a survey will be shared to gather feedback on training and development needs across the partnership.
Our co-design programme has continued to grow. Over the past month engagement activities have taken place to help us build a deeper understanding of what matters most to children and families when they need support.
Feedback from these sessions has highlighted the importance of being able to access help quickly, understand where to go for support and receive joined-up support. Children and young people have also told us that feeling safe, listened to and involved in decisions remains important.
Alongside engagement activity, work is progressing to develop a citywide consultation that will give even more families and young people the opportunity to share their views and experiences. This feedback will directly inform the ongoing development of Families First reforms in Sheffield.
Get involved
We will be continuing our co-design activity throughout the next few months. We would love to attend any groups or activities you may have running throughout September where families or young people attend. We are looking to gather lived experienced and feedback to help shape services.
If you would like us to visit your group or activity, or have any questions about Families First in Sheffield, please contact:
familiesfirst@sheffield.gov.uk
Family Help Update
Drawing of a person with the words "Coordinated & Relational & Whole family support" around them
During August partners from children's services, health, education, voluntary, community and faith sector met to help shape how Family Help will work in Sheffield. They explored how families can access joined-up support when they need it. A key area of focus has been the development of the roles that will help coordinate support around families, without families having to repeat their stories.
Work is progressing on Sheffield's approach to "One Assessment, One Plan". The aim is to create a more consistent experience for children, young people and families, with professionals working together around a shared understanding of a family's strengths, needs and goals. Learning from co-design activities has reinforced the importance of trusted relationships, clear communication, accessible services and support that is tailored to the needs of individual families.
Planning is underway to develop a workforce training needs analysis. This will help us to understand the knowledge, skills and support that staff will need as the new model develops. This will help ensure the workforce feels confident and equipped to provide the right support to children, young people and families.
Our vision remains simple: one family, joined-up support, with partners working together around the needs of children and families.
Multi Agency Child Protections Teams (MACPT) Update
Work continues to develop Sheffield's Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT), with partners helping to shape key aspects of the model, including roles, responsibilities, consultation processes and how agencies will work together.
Alongside this, recruitment is underway to strengthen multi-agency representation. This has included the appointment of a Health Representative. Workforce learning and training opportunities are also being developed as new ways of working are introduced.
Over the next few months, work will focus on finalising operational arrangements, developing workforce readiness and ensuring the MACPT model remains closely connected to wider Families First reforms.
Staff Spotlight - Lucy McGann, Lead Education Advisor
Lucy has joined the team this August and will help to shape services going forward.
Lucy McGann, Lead Education Advisor
I'm Lucy McGann and I'm really excited to have been appointed as the lead education advisor for the MACPT during this transformation period. I've been fortunate to have worked in education for over twenty years and have had the pleasure of working right from early years through to post 16.
My background is in safeguarding, inclusion and pastoral support. I've held a number of different roles including Head of Year, Head of Key Stage and Safeguarding Lead. Alongside my two days per week working for the MACPT the rest of my week is spent as the Safeguarding and Inclusion Manager for Minerva Learning Trust, a Multi Academy Trust consisting of 10 schools across Sheffield and Derbyshire.
I'm passionate about ensuring that all children and families receive the right support at the right time and that safeguarding partners who work closely with children everyday are represented when making decisions about children's safety. It's right that education forms part of the MACPT and I really hope that my role enables the voice of DSL's to be strengthened and for communication between parter agencies to be improved so that it can benefit those families and children that we all care so deeply about.
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Update
Exciting progress is continuing as we develop Sheffield's Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) approach. This approach is based on a simple principle: families often have people around them who care and want to help.
 Drawing of a car with the words "Trust, Empathy, Understanding" on the roof, and "Relationships are the primary vehicle for change" behind the car
Feedback from families continues to highlight the importance of trusted relationships, being listened to, and having support that feels connected rather than fragmented. These messages are helping shape how Family Networks and FGDM will operate across Sheffield, ensuring families remain at the centre of decision-making.
A key focus of recent work has been developing our approach to Family Networks, Family Connect conversations and the principle of "mobilise before escalate". This includes exploring how family network conversations can become part of everyday practice. This will help families identify and build on support within their own networks, before challenges grow or require more formal intervention.
Over the coming months, we will continue to work with families, partners and practitioners to refine the model. We will look to expand opportunities for family-led planning and develop the training, resources and support practitioners need to help families mobilise before challenges escalate.
FFPP Partnership Event
We are pleased to invite you to a Sheffield Partnership Event bringing together three significant areas of reform and transformation across the city:
- Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP)
- SEND Reform
- Best Start for Life / Family Hubs
The event will provide an opportunity for partners from across Sheffield to come together to hear about progress to date, understand current thinking and planning, and consider how these reforms will shape the support offered to children, young people and families'.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday 21st October 2026
Time: 9:30am - 12pm or 1pm - 3:30pm
Venue: The Hope Centre, Bernard Road, Sheffield, S2 5BQ
Please note that you only need to attend one session. The morning and afternoon sessions will cover the same content, so please book onto whichever works best for you.
Character Design Competition
We invited 3 Primary Schools across Sheffield to help design a new family friendly character to represent Sheffield’s Families First Partnership programme. We will be sharing the wining design and shortlisted entries soon.
Want to know more?
For further detail, you can read the official FFPP guidance on Families First Partnership programme - GOV.UK
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