A council has secured £4million of government funding to continue leading the way in reforms to children’s social care.
Lewisham council was one of seven local authorities chosen by the Department of Education to deliver the Families First for Children Pathfinder pilot program in March 2024.
The local authority has now been selected to continue its role for another year once the initial pilot ends in March 2025.
The scheme aims to improve services to help more children stay with their families in safe homes and protect vulnerable children from harm.
Prevention and early support are key focuses for the programme which aims to ensure help is available for families facing domestic abuse, addiction, or poor mental health.
Action to protect children – when needed – will be carried out by social workers with significant expertise and experience working alongside other professionals in multi-agency teams, and the wider family will stay involved in decision-making.
Councillor Chris Barnham, Lewisham’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “We welcome the government’s reform of children’s social care, which is long overdue, and we are pleased they have decided to continue to fund the Families First for Children pilot.
“It is great news for Lewisham’s families and young people that we can continue and build upon what we have already put in place to help our most vulnerable children and young people to stay in family networks as far as possible.
“We know there is more to be done, and this new funding enables us to get on with the job.”
The government has pledged an additional £250million to fund social care reforms through local government.
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