Families First Update for Safeguarding Partners – August 2026
Families First Update for Safeguarding Partners
Families First Steering Group Update
Implementation of the Families First arrangements continues to develop across Newcastle, with partners working to strengthen integrated family support, improve collaboration and embed new ways of working across services. Recent discussions at the Families First Steering Group highlighted both the positive progress being made and the areas that continue to require attention as the model becomes established.
Workforce Development and Recruitment
A key focus remains ensuring that services have the workforce capacity needed to meet demand. Recruitment activity is continuing across a number of areas, including Family Help and safeguarding services, with new practitioners and managers joining teams and further appointments progressing through recruitment processes. Partners are also preparing for the development of a new approach hub later this year, helping to support the next phase of implementation.
Alongside recruitment, there is continued recognition of the pressures being experienced by practitioners and managers as they respond to growing demand. Support arrangements remain in place, with additional practice, learning and workforce support being provided to help teams manage complex work and maintain a focus on high-quality practice.
Partnership Working and Integrated Working
Partners reported encouraging feedback about the benefits of co-location and closer collaboration between services. Integrated working arrangements are helping professionals to strengthen communication, improve decision-making and develop a shared understanding of how families can access the right help at the right time. Early Help colleagues are now contributing to integrated triage arrangements, supporting more coordinated responses for children and families.
There is also continued development of locality-based working and the Community Family Offer, which brings together a range of community-based services and support to help families access early, targeted assistance within their local communities. This approach aims to strengthen connections between families, services and community resources, reducing the need for more intensive intervention where appropriate. Partners continue to refine referral pathways and service interfaces to ensure families can access appropriate support without unnecessary delays or duplication.
Practice Development and Service Improvements
The steering group considered how Family Help and Community Family Offer services can work together effectively to meet differing levels of need. The Community Family Offer provides access to community-based support, activities and targeted interventions that can help families build resilience and access help at an earlier stage. Ongoing work is focused on ensuring that practitioners have a clear understanding of service pathways and that families are supported to access a range of community resources and support networks as part of a sustainable and strengths-based approach.
This wording reflects what is described in the Steering Group minutes, namely that the Community Family Offer provides short-term, targeted intervention and access to community services, while avoiding operational detail that would not be suitable for publication.
Systems, Tools and Supporting Processes
Work continues to improve the systems and processes that underpin Families First delivery. Developments include enhancements to management information arrangements, the introduction of new performance dashboards and expanded opportunities for managers to access data and reporting tools. These improvements will support oversight, performance monitoring and service development.
Further system development is also underway to ensure assessment and recording tools support the Families First model and provide meaningful information for practitioners and managers.
Quality Assurance, Learning and Performance
Partners continue to review the impact of implementation and monitor emerging themes. Current discussions have highlighted the importance of maintaining manageable workloads, supporting practitioner wellbeing and ensuring that demand is understood across the system. There is ongoing work to strengthen support arrangements and ensure that learning from implementation is used to inform future developments.
The steering group also recognised the value of practice support, quality assurance activity and professional development in helping teams navigate change while maintaining a strong focus on children and families.
Communication, Engagement and Partnership Involvement
Engagement with partner agencies remains an important priority as implementation progresses. Plans are being developed to increase communication and engagement activity, including opportunities for partners to learn more about the evolving Families First arrangements and explore how services can work together effectively across localities.
Future Priorities and Next Steps
Over the coming months, partners will continue to focus on embedding Family Help arrangements, strengthening locality-based delivery and ensuring families are able to access appropriate support through both statutory and community-based services. Workforce recruitment, service capacity, accommodation arrangements that support integrated working, and continued development of systems and processes will remain important areas of focus.
The overall picture is one of continued progress, with partners working collaboratively to refine arrangements, respond to emerging challenges and build a sustainable Families First model that supports children, young people and families across Newcastle. While some practical challenges remain, particularly around workload pressures and capacity, implementation activity continues to move forward with a clear commitment to partnership working and continuous improvement.
