Lincolnshire is leading the way in providing outstanding support for children and families
Lincolnshire County Council is one of three local authorities that have been 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.
Cllr 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’re delighted to spearhead this important programme.
“We already provide outstanding services for families, and our involvement in the pathfinder will help build upon this strong foundation, further improving outcomes for Lincolnshire families that need our support.”
The programme will focus on four key elements, taking 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 service delivered by social workers with greater expertise and experience, with support from dedicated and skilled teams involving a range of local agencies
- Greater use of family networks, with targeted funding to enable more children to live at home or move with wider family members
- Strengthening partnership working
Earlier this year, the council’s children’s services were again rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Inspectors found that families in Lincolnshire continue to have access to local services that help to keep them safe and support them to make good progress.
Their report also noted that council staff, schools and other adults involved in the children’s lives worked to ensure that help was provided quickly when needed, before issues had a chance to escalate.
Cllr Bradwell said: “I was particularly pleased that the inspectors recognised that staff spend time getting to know the children to understand what is important to them. They try hard to make sure that the children’s views and wishes are listened to, and that they are helped to stay in touch with siblings and other family members who are important to their lives.
“They also found that even better support is now available to children and young people who either go missing or are at risk of being involved in things outside their family that may cause them harm or get them into trouble with the police.
“I’m confident that staff will build upon this latest success and find ways to improve the support available to families even further.”
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