Agenda item

Officers introduced the Families First Reforms and Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’ policy statement came out last year.

These would lead to some significant changes to how some services were delivered.

Officers noted that various reviews had influenced the current reforms. The focus remained on prevention, support, and improving the quality of care while implementing significant changes in service delivery.

The Committee was reminded of the guidance from the Families First programme, emphasising key working teams and community-based work. The reforms aimed to align social work teams with stronger families teams in localities, moving towards a multidisciplinary team setting. This approach would involve children's assessments led by the most appropriate practitioner, not necessarily a social worker.

The consultation process had begun, with a draft structure in place. Engagement with staff and partners was ongoing to ensure a smooth transition. The goal was to implement these changes by April next year, with a focus on supporting families through multidisciplinary teams.

The programme continued to ensure families had access to good education, safety, and economic stability. The emphasis was on early intervention and prevention, with multidisciplinary teams addressing social care and housing. The integration of services on the same floor in the civic centre had positively impacted service delivery.

The programme included targeted efforts to prevent repeat removals of babies from parents who struggled to care for their children. This involved dedicated coordinators and key workers to support vulnerable parents post-adoption, aiming to prevent future adoptions and reduce trauma.

The family hub journey continued, ensuring integration across the family help spectrum. The focus was on planning and understanding the whole lead change, with key components of family help being implemented.

Significant changes were planned for child protection, including the establishment of lead child protection social workers responsible for decision-making, investigation, and conferencing.

The reforms would require close collaboration with key partners, including the Met Police, NHS, education and young people. The Committee acknowledged the challenges posed by restructuring and potential reductions in partner organisations. The aim was to ensure partners were engaged and supportive throughout the process.

There had been a restructure at senior level, with three directors, and there was a lot of transformation underway.

The programme was backed by £500 million, with Hillingdon receiving £1.3 million for transformation. This funding was ringfenced for early intervention and prevention projects, with approximately a third allocated to supporting partners. The Committee would monitor the use of funds and the impact on service delivery.

The Committee agreed to receive an update in nine months to review progress and address any emerging issues. The focus would be on the family health space, child protection work, and the overall impact of the reforms.

Members expressed interest in the prevention of repeat removals and the challenges of multi-agency protection and how this would pan out. 

Members asked about the biggest differences families in need will notice and the potential challenges. Officers noted that there would be local delivery, less centralised and better relationship building. Families would feel more like partners and have more consistency in their contacts.

It was acknowledged that there were going to be lots of new ways of working.

Members acknowledged the challenges related to pace and capacity, managing staff anxiety, and ensuring a smooth transition, as well as whether new roles will be attractive.

It was important to ensure that all team members were adequately trained and up-to-date with legislation.

RESOLVED: That the Committee:

1. Noted the information provided, and asked question as required; and

2. Agreed realistic timescales for how they wish to monitor progress