Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is proud to be implementing the Families First Programme as part of a number of reforms for Children’s Social Care directed by the Department for Education.
In children and young people services in Rotherham, children are already prioritised at the heart of everything we do, which underpins our 2025 ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted judgement. This programme focusses on working together to get help for families within their own family setting or community sooner, achieving better outcomes for everyone.
All local authorities will be implementing the programme by 2027 – and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council already has some of the key principles of the reforms in place.
At Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, we know that change can sometimes cause anxiety – especially when it comes to something as important as the wellbeing of children. We are committed to working with families and practitioners every step of the way to make changes as easy as possible.
Rotherham’s Families First programme has a few key components:
Family help:
Early, targeted support within the community to try and ensure families get the help they need and can stay together. The aim is to have one joined up service, so families don’t have to keep telling their story to different professionals, which may be difficult. The team works closely with each family to come up with a support plan, connect them to other services and signpost them to resources available in the community and beyond. The goal is to keep families together and make them feel empowered to make decisions that are right for them.
Child protection:
Professionals from different agencies like Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, the police, education bodies and healthcare act together to respond to concerns about a child’s safety, delivering a joined-up approach to ensure all bases are covered. This means sharing expertise and information to ensure the child’s best interests are at the centre of any action – plus families supported in the best way.
Family Networks:
It is a key aim to keep families together and children at home. Family networks can help with this. Family networks can consist of close or extended family members who can provide support to the child if needed. Families are encouraged to make decisions and plan through Family Network meetings.
Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (MASAs):
Working together with other agencies is the best way to ensure the most effective help, support and protection for families. Statutory safeguarding partners, and relevant agencies like childcare settings, must work together to make the right decisions for children and their families. These are known as MASAs.
- Children and young people are healthy and safe from harm.
- Children and young people start school ready to learn for life.
- Children, young people and their families are ready for the world of work.
The implementation of the Families First programme will adhere to all of these objectives, plus ‘children and young people achieve’ which is in the council plan 2025-2030.
You can view more information about resources like Family Hubs and other Children and Young People’s Services in Rotherham here: Rotherham Family Hubs and Best Start in Life – Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.