Families First Partnership Programme
The Families First Partnership Programme is changing how organisations work together to support children, young people and families. The aim is to help families get the right support at the right time, so children can grow up safe, supported and able to thrive.
About the programme
The Government is introducing major reforms to children's social care through the Families First Partnership Programme.
The reforms, set out in Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive, promote a child-centred approach that:
- strengthens support for families
- focuses on building strong relationships
- brings services together around the needs of children and families
What this means for Swindon
We will build on our existing early help and community support services to create a more joined-up approach for families.
Family Help services will bring multi-agency practitioners and social workers together in the same teams. This will help us:
- provide support earlier
- improve coordination between services
- deliver more effective support for children and families
Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams
A key part of the programme is the introduction of Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams.
These teams will include professionals from:
- children's social care
- health services
- education
- policing
Working together, they will carry out child protection assessments, investigations and interventions.
This shared approach will create local centres of expertise and support better decision-making for children who may be at risk of harm.
Putting families at the centre
The programme places families at the centre of decision-making through Family Group Decision Making.
This approach recognises that families, and the people who support them, often have the best understanding of how positive and lasting change can be achieved.
Organisations across Swindon will work together more closely, including:
- local authority services
- schools
- health providers
- police
- community organisations
By working together, services can take a more coordinated and preventative approach to supporting children and families.
Further information
Multi-agency safeguarding professionals can find out more about the reforms by reading:
- Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive (PDF) – a government vision for children's social care
- Families First Partnership Programme: guidance for safeguarding partners on implementing Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision-making reforms
- Families First Partnership Programme: supporting transformation from April 2025 (initial guidance) (PDF)
- Learning from regional Families First Pathfinders (PDF)
- Reform of Children's Social Care in England