How a new approach is reshaping support for children and families.
After spending a few days at NCASC last week, one theme kept coming up in conversation – the shift toward Families First and what it really means for the way services support children and families.
People weren’t talking about it as another policy layer, but as a genuine change in how services want to work: earlier, more collaboratively, and with families much more involved in decisions.
A quick recap – where Families First fits
As most in the sector will be aware of – Families First builds on the direction already set by Working Together 2023 and the wider reform programme. It brings early help, targeted support, child-in-need and family-led planning into a more joined-up approach, and how you combine this with multi-agency child protection teams and a stronger expectation that families will be part of shaping plans before things escalate.
It isn’t about replacing statutory guidance – more about putting some structure underneath things services have already been doing for years: work earlier, work together, and avoid children entering care unnecessarily.
What services are thinking about right now
Talking with people across children’s social care, family help, early help and SEND, a few shared reflections came up over and over:
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families need to feel part of the process, not subject to it
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multi-agency working sounds simple until you actually try doing it
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the principles of Families First are widely supported – the challenge is embedding them consistently and have enough funding and support to do that.
There was also curiosity about what comes next: pathfinder learning, the role of schools, how the upcoming education reforms link in, and what local government changes might mean for delivery on the ground
Where the voice of the child really sits in all this
Another reflection I heard AT NCASC was that if Families First is going to work, the child’s perspective can’t be something squeezed into the last paragraph of an assessment. It has to guide the work.
People told me again and again at NCASC that the voice of the child is where things succeed or fall apart:
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Family Group Decision Making only works if we understand the child’s perspective
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Multi-agency teams can only make good decisions if they have reliable, up-to-date insight from the child, not assumptions.
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Early help relies on trust; many young people won’t open up on the spot or in front of adults they barely know.
The sector knows this – but actually capturing voice consistently, especially when teams are stretched, is still one of the biggest practical barriers.
Digital tools aren’t always the answer – but they can help
I heard a lot of interest in how digital participation tools could support Families First, not as a silver bullet, but as something that removes friction and gives young people more choice in how they share what matters to them.
Digital can help by:
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giving children space to express themselves privately and in their own words
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reducing the pressure on professionals to “catch” the child’s voice in limited contact time
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creating a record that follows the child across early help, CIN and child protection
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supporting multi-agency teams with consistent information rather than siloed notes
People were positive but also honest – tools only make a difference when organisations commit to using them well. And digital always needs to complement – rather than replace – human relationships.
A hopeful moment
We left NCASC feeling positive. As always, it was inspiring to speak to lots of motivated leaders across the sector. The conversations felt thoughtful and aligned with what young people have been asking for years:
include us, listen to us, and let us be part of shaping our own lives.
If we keep that at the centre, and if we use the tools and approaches available to us wisely – we’re on the right track.
Click here to get involved in shaping the future of child-centred support.