Families First Partnerships: A New Chapter

It felt wrong, as a DCS of a wave one Families First for Children (FFC) Pathfinder authority, not to use this blog to share my reflections on the way services have adapted, and how others might travel along the path Wolverhampton has helped to pave. I have to be honest, as a new DCS, the prospect of leading this work could have been a make or break moment! However, with the support of my Pathfinder colleague DCSs, our great team in Wolverhampton, colleagues in the DfE and our delivery partner, it has been a privilege to be part of such significant social care reform agenda.

We know we are fortunate to have three FFC Pathfinders in the West Midlands, and we appreciate that this is a significant opportunity both for our region, and indeed the whole country. It represents a real chance to reshape the way we support children and families, moving away from sometimes fragmented services towards a more cohesive, relationship-based approach to practice.

FFC Pathfinders are firmly rooted in the DfE’s Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy and the recommendations from Josh MacAlister’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. These initiatives set the foundation for early, meaningful intervention, ensuring that families receive the right support at the right time. But this isn’t just about fulfilling policy requirements, it’s about doing what is right for families.

A key strength of the FFC approach is supporting families to tell their story once. As we all know, too often, families navigate a system where they are passed from one worker to another, retelling their experiences multiple times. By embedding a relationship-based practice model, we can ensure consistency, trust, and a more positive experience for those seeking help. The Lead Practitioner role is instrumental in this shift. By having a single professional guide the family’s journey, we reduce the number of handovers and make sure that the support provided is both continuous and meaningful. By working sooner with families, and their wider network, we can build resilience within families and communities, ensuring they have the tools and support needed to overcome challenges, before they escalate.

Along with others across the country, Pathfinders have been offered a unique opportunity to lead the way in guiding service transformation. Moving forward, as directors of children’s services, as leaders and influencers within the system, we all bring invaluable experience and knowledge to drive forward these changes. The momentum is there, and we should take this opportunity to embed lasting change - not just in policy, but in the way we work with families every day. I'm sure my fellow Pathfinder DCSs would agree that we are happy to offer support with responding to reforms and we are just working with the DfE and the delivery partner to add some more structure to what that will look like.

The FFC approach isn’t just about what we have to do, it’s about what we can do with our children, families, and communities. As a profession, and together, we have the foundation to create real, lasting change.

Alison Hinds

Council of Reference - West Midlands representative

Director of Children’s Services

City of Wolverhampton Council

originally published as an ADCS Blog