Social Care Reforms

The Government is proposing a major reset of the children’s social care system. The aim is to offer every child the best start in life with safety, security, and opportunities to achieve and thrive.  The Social Care Reforms (Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive, DfE November 2024) introduce a whole-system, child-centred approach to how we deliver services to children and families; minimising points of transfer for families in a more seamless system of help and protection, which prioritises family-led, relationship-based support and solutions.

This means over the next 12 to 18 months, Barnet Children's Social Care will undergo significant change in how we operate and deliver services to local children and families. Key components of this reform include building on the strengths of existing universal and community based early help delivery models, to create a Family Help service, with practitioners and social workers in the same team working to a single assessment and plan. 

In addition, Child Protection reform will be introduced by establishing local Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs). These multi-disciplinary teams will include a minimum of social care, police, health and education professionals undertaking statutory child protection investigations and interventions, offering a local and accessible centre of expertise. A focus on family group decision-making will also be embedded.

Further information can be found by reading the government statement Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive, DfE, November 2024 ( see below) 

Your experience and insights are essential in helping shape the future of Family Services in Barnet. So, we are launching our Social Care Reform Consultation, which will be running from May to July 2025.

We invite you to get involved by sharing your experiences, ideas, and recommendations on what you think the local transformation of Family Services should look like. We want to know what you think is working well and where there are opportunities for better integration. What are your views on team structure, how many there should be and where they should be based?

This is your chance to help us co-design and co-produce the future Family Help Service, and your engagement and feedback will play a crucial role in shaping how we implement the social care reforms in Barnet.

There are several ways in which you can participate and get involved.

1. Share your views and ideas by emailing us at:fssocialcarereforms@barnet.gov.uk
2. Speak to your Manager and/or PALMS attending Service Days and team meetings during May -July ( for professionals)
3. Attend one of the online drop-in sessions where you can have your say and share your ideas. You will be sent calendar invites for the drop-in sessions please only accept the one you able to attend.
4. Complete a survey, look out for details to be shared soon.

 To support all of the above we recommend multi agency safeguarding professionals to read: 

Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive - a Government vision for children's social care https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67375fe5ed0fc07b53499a42/Keeping_Children_Safe__Helping_Families_Thrive_.pdf

Families First Partnership Guidance - a toolkit for implementing the new Families First Programmes 

 Learning from regional Families First Pathfinders 

 Reform of Children's Social Care in England