Families First Update – August 2026 (2)

Families First Update for Safeguarding Partners

Steering Group Update

Families First implementation continues to move forward across Newcastle, with activity increasingly focused on embedding new ways of working, strengthening partnership arrangements and preparing services, practitioners and partners for the next phase of delivery.

Over recent months, partners have continued to refine Family Help arrangements, develop integrated neighbourhood-based services and strengthen safeguarding pathways. Alongside this, work has continued on workforce development, quality assurance and communications to support a smooth transition for practitioners, partner agencies and families.

Workforce Development and Recruitment

Recruitment activity remains a key area of focus as Families First services continue to develop. Progress has been made in strengthening capacity across Family Help, safeguarding and neighbourhood-based services, with additional practitioner and leadership roles being appointed across several areas. Further recruitment activity remains underway to support service delivery and ensure teams are well placed to manage demand as implementation progresses.

Alongside recruitment, workforce development activity continues through ongoing practice learning, management development and implementation support. This reflects the commitment to ensuring practitioners have the knowledge, confidence and tools needed to work effectively within the evolving Families First model.

Partnership Working and Integrated Delivery

A central theme of Families First continues to be stronger partnership working. Positive feedback has been reported regarding the development of integrated teams and closer collaboration between services. Partners continue to work together to embed shared decision making, improve access to support and ensure families receive the right help at the right time.

Development of the Community Family Offer and the wider Families First approach remains closely linked to partnership involvement from education, health, probation, voluntary sector organisations and other local services. Work is ongoing to strengthen representation within safeguarding arrangements and ensure partners are fully engaged in future delivery.

There is also a continued focus on creating opportunities for partners to understand the new model through briefing sessions, shared learning events and locality-based engagement activity. Plans are being developed to support wider partner awareness and understanding of Families First services and pathways.

Practice Development and Service Improvements

Work continues to strengthen Family Help practice and ensure services remain focused on children, young people and families. Recent activity has included further development of Family Help processes, assessment arrangements and support pathways to help practitioners deliver coordinated and effective interventions.

Partners have also continued to review how community-based support is accessed and communicated. This includes ongoing work around the Community Family Offer, ensuring that families are aware of the range of support available within local communities and neighbourhood services.

The development of Family Group Decision Making approaches, community-based support and family-led planning remains an important part of the wider Families First programme as services continue to encourage earlier support and stronger family networks.

Systems, Tools and Supporting Processes

Preparations for the next stage of system implementation have continued throughout the summer. Following the successful introduction of new forms and processes, further testing and development work has been undertaken to support the transition to new Family Help assessment arrangements. Plans are in place to ensure information is retained appropriately and practitioners are supported throughout implementation.

Additional work has focused on performance reporting, dashboards, system functionality and management information to support operational oversight and learning. This will help services monitor activity, understand demand and continue to refine practice as implementation progresses.

Quality Assurance, Learning and Performance

Quality assurance remains a significant area of development. Audit activity, performance monitoring and practice oversight arrangements continue to be refined across services, helping partners develop a shared understanding of thresholds, decision making and practice expectations.

Partners also continue to review service demand, caseload profiles and workforce pressures to better understand emerging themes and support practitioners effectively. This learning is informing ongoing service development and future planning.

Communication, Engagement and Partnership Involvement

Communications activity has expanded further over the summer, with increased focus on ensuring practitioners, partners and families have access to clear information about Families First services. A dedicated Families First presence is being developed through safeguarding partnership communications, alongside resources for families, partner briefings and awareness materials.

Work is also underway to support engagement with education settings, community locations and partner agencies through targeted communication activity, roadshows and briefing sessions. These initiatives will help build awareness of the Families First model and support consistent understanding across the partnership.

Future Priorities and Next Steps

Over the coming months, activity will continue to focus on embedding Family Help arrangements, strengthening integrated working, supporting practitioners through implementation and ensuring families can easily access support within their communities. Further attention will also be given to workforce capacity, community engagement, performance monitoring and the continued development of partnership delivery models.

Partners will continue to work together to refine processes, monitor impact and learn from implementation as Families First becomes increasingly established across the city.

Summary

Families First continues to show steady progress across workforce development, partnership working, service delivery and implementation planning. New arrangements are becoming embedded, further recruitment is strengthening capacity, and communication and engagement activity is helping partners prepare for the next phase of delivery. While some practical challenges remain around capacity, accommodation and implementation activity, partners continue to work collectively to build a sustainable and effective Families First system that improves outcomes for children, young people and families across Newcastle.