Agenda item

Report Attached

Members of the Committee were reminded that reports should have been reviewed in advance of the meeting.

Jeanette Richards Executive Director for Children and Young People provided an overview of the Family First Partnership Programme, outlining the governments plans to strengthen support services for children and families. Members were advised that implementation in Bury remains on track for operational delivery. Reference was made to the Family First Model, including the proposed structure of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and the approach to demand management. This work will support the development of the Family Help Teams and strengthen partnership working within communities.

Jeanette Highlighted ongoing work around governance arrangements, information sharing agreements and approaches to assessing unmet need. Family Group Conferencing and wider partnership engagement form key parts of the programme.

Linda Evans advised that a report on the Family First Partnership would be considered at Cabinet on the 14^th October. She explained that the approach in Bury is underpinned by the principle of ensuring families receive the right help at the right time whilst reducing unnecessary hand-offs between services.

Members heard that work is underway to ensure the MASH has sufficient capacity, staffing and skills. Linda also outlined proposals for the Multi-Agency Child Safety Team, developed in response to finging from national reviews where child protection arrangements had not always achieved best outcomes for children. The team will work closely with health partners and lead on safeguarding activity.

The committee was advised that one of the most significant developments will be the creation of Family Help Teams operating within neighbourhoods. This will bring family practitioners, social workers and partner agencies closer together to provide more responsive support for children and families. The model will also enhance opportunities for non-qualified care workers and ensure continuity of support where cases require escalation to social work intervention.

Linda Confirmed that specialist services, including Looked After Children teams and support services, would remain centrally managed whilst maintaining stronger links with neighbourhood-based teams.

The principles of the programme focus on providing robust support to families, building on family strengths and wider support networks to reduce risk and improve outcomes. Members also heard that partnership working with the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Enterprise (VCFE) sector will be a ket component of the programme.

Councillor Duncalfe asked about advocacy support for families and whether the voluntary sector could play a role in providing advocates.

Linda Evans advised that advocacy support is already available for parents and carers where required. This support helps families to engage with statutory services and contribute to plans and decision making processes. It was emphasised that parents and carers should not feel discouraged from participating.

Councillor FitzGerald welcomed the proposals and commented positively on the flexibility of the model, noting the benefits of experienced family practitioners working more closely with families.

Councillor Southworth also welcomed the proposals, describing the approach as positive and highlighting the benefits of bringing services together within neighbourhoods. Also noted the potential impact on early help services and local partnership working

It Was Agreed

·       The update be noted