Keeping children safe and ensuring they get a good start in life is a 'priority'

Lincolnshire County Council is one of three local authorities chosen to take part in the government’s Families First for Children pathfinder programme.

The programme is designed to test improvements to family help and child protection services to create a vision for the future of children’s social care in England.

Councillor Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children’s services, said: “Keeping children safe and ensuring they get a good start in life is a priority for the council. So, we are delighted to have been chosen by government to spearhead this important programme.

“The council already provides ‘outstanding’ services to families, helping to keep them safe and supporting them to make good progress. Our involvement in the Families First for Children pathfinder will help us to build upon this strong foundation, further improving outcomes for Lincolnshire families that need our support.”

The programme will focus on four key elements, adopting a ‘test and learn’ approach:

• Locally-based family help services providing welcoming, intensive and effective support tailored to the needs of children and families

• A child protection response delivered by social workers with greater expertise and experience, with support from dedicated and skilled multi-agency teams

• Greater use of family networks, with targeted funding to enable more children to live at home or move into kinship care

• Strengthening partnership arrangements

The council and government will work closely with key partners and local communities to design and deliver the reforms.

This first wave of the Families First for Children pathfinder is expected to run until March 2025.