New Statutory Guidance: Working Together 2026 Published
Children’s social care is undergoing the most significant reform in a generation. The changes aim to strengthen early help, reduce the need for crisis intervention, and improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
Two key national documents – the Children’s Social Care National Framework and the updated Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance – set out clear expectations for how local authorities, safeguarding partners and relevant agencies should work together to deliver this vision.
These reforms underpin new programmes such as the Families First Partnership (FFP), which focuses on shifting support towards prevention and earlier intervention. The government’s ambition is to:
- give children the best start in life
- keep children safe
- break down barriers to opportunity
The Department for Education has also published “Supporting local areas to embed Working Together” and the national framework. This is non‑statutory guidance designed to help partnerships translate national expectations into local systems and practice. It focuses on building consistency, strengthening multi‑agency collaboration, using evidence and data effectively, and supporting continuous improvement. It introduces a flexible Explore, Prepare, Deliver, Sustain cycle to support local learning and development. These updates provide a clear national direction and an opportunity to reflect on how we work together locally.
