The Department of Education has published an update to the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance.
The Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 guidance, published on 18 March 2026, builds on the previous document and emphasises the importance of early help, family support and multi-agency accountability. It aims to ensure that all children, including those who are looked after, living in kinship care, adopted or facing concerns during pregnancy are helped, supported and protected.
The guidance reinforces the need for inclusive, anti-discriminatory practice and the importance of using data to demonstrate impact of safeguarding arrangements for children, young people and families. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 sets of the roles, responsibilities and accountability of safeguarding partners as well as expectations for multi-agency agency safeguarding arrangements.
The full document can be accessed here – Working together to safeguard children - GOV.UK and a helpful summary of the main changes in the document can be found here – Working together to safeguard children 2026: summary of changes - GOV.UK
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WFSCP safeguarding partners are continuing to develop their implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP). This national reform programme is designed to strengthen local collaboration in supporting and safeguarding children and families. It introduces a clearer, more coherent system in which agencies work together to provide earlier, better coordinated help, ensuring children receive the right support at the right time.
A Shared Vision for Family Help and Protection
The aim of the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme is to transform the whole system of help, support and protection, to ensure that every family can access the right help and support when they need it, with a strong emphasis on early intervention to prevent escalating need and crisis. The reforms include the introduction of Family Help, strengthening multi-agency child protection and improving engagement with family networks.
Our Approach
Our approach in Westmorland and Furness to the social care reforms has been to review and strengthen existing structures, whilst promoting a partnership approach to support the system.
Front Door Arrangements – We’ve transitioned from the Safeguarding Hub to a Multi-Agency Children’s Hub (MACH), broadening our approach to include both support and safeguarding, with increased capacity for family help. We continue to explore opportunities to enhance the front door model, working with partners to ensure timely and appropriate support for families.
Family Help / Section 17 – The approach to Targeted Family Help in Westmorland and Furness continues to be strengthened, intending to support the transition between Family Help and S17 Child in Need (CIN).
Family Group Decision Making – We are working to embed family decision making activity throughout the whole system and at the earliest opportunity. Focussing on family networks and ensuring planning utilises the family network in a strengths based approach.
Multi-Agency Child Protection – Partners are working together to understand and review current effectiveness and efficiency of the system in responding to Child Protection concerns. We are using data to highlight strengths and areas for development and considering partnership ownership and oversight of key strategic decision making points.
Partnership Working
Governance of the Families First Partnership Programme sits with the Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership, Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs). A multiagency working group has been established to enable progress to be made and meets regularly to plan activity and review progress.
The Department for Education’s guidance makes clear that FFPP is a whole system reform. This requires collaboration across children’s social care, police, health, education, the voluntary and community sector, and other relevant agencies.
For our statutory safeguarding partners, this represents a collective commitment to strengthening partnership working, aligning practice more closely, and delivering meaningful, lasting improvements for children and families.
The partnership will continue to share updates and welcomes involvement from colleagues across the children’s workforce.
Please complete the form by 31 March if you wish to continue receiving Practitioner Forum updates. If we do not receive a response by this date, your details will be removed from our Practitioner Forum distribution list.
To ensure our records remain accurate, we kindly ask all individuals—both existing and prospective members—to complete the form, as we are refreshing our lists and may not have the most up‑to‑date information on file.
WFSCP Practitioner Forums – Fill in form
📢 Have your say and help shape the future of youth services in Westmorland and Furness!
Cumbria Youth Alliance, working in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council, is gathering views on what is working well for young people aged 11 to 25 and where change is needed.
We want to hear from you. Whether you are a young person, parent, youth worker, volunteer, teacher, or part of the wider community, your experience really matters and can help drive meaningful change.
🗣️ 3 quick surveys, lasting impact:
✅ Young People (11–25): https://app.upshot.org.uk/survey/1505a9bf/11208/61261cc7/
✅ Staff & Volunteers: https://app.upshot.org.uk/survey/eca7b2bd/11392/63f93988/
✅ Community & Parents: https://app.upshot.org.uk/survey/35fe41ed/11198/60b14d07/
🔁 Please share this post and encourage others to complete the survey that fits them. The more voices we hear, the stronger the case for better youth services across our area.
#WestmorlandAndFurnessYouth #YouthVoice #CommunityMatters #CumbriaYouthAlliance #HaveYourSay
The development of a 7-minute briefing on unassisted or “free birth” by Named Midwives for Safeguarding across Lancashire and South Cumbria has been driven by the observed increase in its prevalence and a need to distinguish these cases from concealed pregnancies.
It aims to provide clear, concise guidance for frontline staff and the wider MDT. A collaborative MDT perspective is essential, incorporating midwifery, safeguarding, obstetrics, health visiting, and social care to balance two key priorities: respecting parental autonomy and legal choice regarding birth, while maintaining vigilance around safeguarding risks to both birthing person and baby.
The briefing will outline potential reasons for choosing to birth unassisted, legal considerations, safeguarding considerations and advice for planning care. It aims to empower professionals to promote professional curiosity and proportionate intervention to safeguard vulnerable individuals, without undermining lawful parental decisions.
7 minute briefing Unassisted birth
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