On 20 March 2025 UK government has launched its Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, backed by £500 million in funding for councils to invest in improving support for children and families.
Warwickshire County Council is leading the way in this national reform of children’s social care through continued involvement in the Department for Education (DfE) programme pathfinder.
The council is one of just 10 areas in England involved in early rollout of the government’s plans, designed to keep more children in safe and loving homes. Following initial selection as a pathfinder authority in 2023, the DfE in January 2025 confirmed additional funding for the council to continue to work with government to help shape the future national approach to family help.
The programme, known in Warwickshire as Families First, aims to rebalance children’s social care and avoid costly crisis intervention by offering more meaningful and effective early support – helping more children stay with their families in safe loving homes and protecting vulnerable children from harm.
Working in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board and Warwickshire Police, the county council has established new delivery models for family help, child protection, family networks and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements ahead of a national transformation. Key to this is the creation of multi-agency teams, which will be a great benefit to families and practitioners. The approach is explained in an animation which echoes Warwickshire’s commitment to help children and young people be healthy, happy, heard, safe and skilled.
Warwickshire’s programme is making sure targeted early help is available for families suffering domestic abuse, addiction, or poor mental health; to help them overcome adversity before issues escalate and children are put at risk of harm.
Where child protection is necessary this is led by new Lead Child Protection Practitioners and the wider family is always involved in decision-making. A Multi-Agency Child Protection Team is in place made up of a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, Police Detective Sergeants, Police Liaison Officers, Safeguarding Nurses, and Education Officers who work closely together with and around families who need this support.
Warwickshire County Council’s Executive Director for Children and Young People, Nigel Minns, said:
“We want to ensure that all families in Warwickshire can access the right support, enabling our children and young people to thrive and giving them the best possible start in life. This is at the heart of our Child Friendly Warwickshire commitment.
“We are proud of Warwickshire’s involvement as a pathfinder authority. It demonstrates how our services have developed to become system leaders in children's social care, and this progress and our potential have been recognised at the highest levels by our peers and by partner agencies. We are confident that the Pathfinder programme is making a positive difference to our children and families.”
The benefits of integrated working have been recognised by partner agencies involved in delivering the new Families First approach.
Jackie Channell, Associate Chief Nurse for Safeguarding in Warwickshire at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB said:
“The Families First for Children Pathfinder model has fostered robust multi‐agency collaboration across Warwickshire, leading to measurable improvements in outcomes for children and families. By expanding early intervention opportunities and ensuring targeted, accessible support, this model empowers families to receive help at the very moment it is needed. Locality‐based partnerships have deepened community connections by reinforcing resilience and promoting holistic, child‐centred care.
“All partner agencies, across the health service and beyond, embrace a shared commitment to accountability and integrated care, ensuring that the voice of the child remains at the heart of every decision.”
Detective Superintendent Jill Fowler from Warwickshire Police added: The introduction of new Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements has strengthened our partnership response to safeguarding children in Warwickshire. The newly embedded and co-located Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams are now working effectively, improving communication between agencies and demonstrating how truly ‘working together’ improves outcomes for children.
“The additional funding from the Government has enabled early support to be offered locally by agencies collaborating to improve opportunities for families to overcome challenges and access support when they need it. This promotes the welfare of children by enhancing relationships with local Police, Health Services Children’s Services and Education Providers to meet the needs of families and enable them to thrive."
Families First for Children Pathfinder is a national test and learn initiative following the publication of the government response (Stable Homes, Built on Love) to the independent review of children’s social care by Josh McAllister. All local authorities are expected to implement the recommendations, with national roll out expected in 2025-2027.
Other areas taking part in the pathfinder include Dorset, Lewisham, Lincolnshire, Luton, Redbridge, Walsall, Warrington, The Wirral and Wolverhampton.
For more information about the pathfinder visit Families first for children (FFC) pathfinder programme and family networks pilot (FNP) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Guidance for safeguarding partners on implementing family help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision-making reforms can be found at Families First Partnership programme - GOV.UK