Over the last 18 months, the council has been a key part of the Department for Education's Families First for Children Pathfinder (FFCP) programme, designed to test ways to reform the children’s social care system, help children to stay with their families in safe and loving homes while protecting vulnerable children where needed and ensuring that families will receive the right support at the right time and be supported by the right professional.

Wolverhampton, one of three local authorities chosen to take part in the first phase of the Pathfinder, has worked to deliver support to families based on three principles:

• Delivering family help through local multi-disciplinary teams working with partners to provide welcoming and effective support, tailored to the needs of children and families

• Where child protection is necessary, it is carried out by social workers with greater expertise and experience, and time to dedicate to the family and child

• Greater use of family networks involving the wider family in decision-making and with them being the first port of call if a child has to leave the family home. There is enhanced engagement with extended family members and friends to build long term resilience, with a genuine focus on family-led planning

Other key objectives of the work being undertaken include ensuring that families are helped at the earliest opportunity so that they can remain together safely so that an escalation of need is prevented and reducing the need for statutory child protection involvement. Where this cannot happen, there will be increased kinship care arrangements to keep children with close family or friends.

Where a child protection response is required, family will be supported by an independent advocate, leading to a better understanding of what is happening. The lead worker remains involved with a family throughout their journey, so that there is consistency for families and an emphasis on building trusted relationships.

Seven more councils joined the Pathfinder in the second phase last year, and funding for the programme has now been extended for a further 12 months.

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "One of our top priorities as a council is to ensure our children and young people get the best possible start in life and so we are very pleased to be a part of this important piece of work.

"The FFCP programme aims to help children and families facing challenges by giving them the right help at the right time, by ensuring early support, family help and intervention is available to help them overcome adversity and stay together where possible.

"We are sharing our learning through regular meetings with the Department for Education and policy leads from cross government departments, as well as presenting at national public learning events and conferences.

"The Government's new Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which began its journey through Parliament in December, shows a clear commitment to rolling out social care reform nationally, and findings from the Pathfinder will be used to help shape these reforms.

"This means that, thanks to our involvement with the Pathfinder, we - and the children and families we support - will be able to directly influence the national rollout of reforms to children's social care."

Last Autumn, Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby, visited Graiseley Family Hub, one of nine family hubs across the city, to meet staff, children and families and see first-hand how the council had successful embedded the Pathfinder.

Alison Hinds, the council's Director of Children's Services, said: "The visit was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the collaboration between ourselves and the wider partnership, as well as demonstrating how well we’ve managed to achieve frontline support for families.

“Families tell their story once – we work restoratively with families to discuss what support they need and work with them to create a family plan – families own their plan. Family help support is integrated in our Family Hubs across the city, providing a holistic offer of support in a non-stigmatising environment which helps to build solid relationships.”

The positive impact of the Pathfinder was also highlighted by inspectors from Ofsted who carried out a week-long focused inspection of Children's Social Care Services in October. They found that managers are supported by clear systems and processes, collaborating with practitioners to ensure that informed and timely decisions are made for children and families, with interventions appropriately escalated and de-escalated in a timely way.

Inspectors also reported 'strong relationships across the council and with safeguarding partners' and a collaborative and co-ordinated approach to working with children and families' which ensure that most children access 'the right services at the right time'.

We will continue to monitor the impact of the reforms locally, with a clear focus on getting direct feedback from families.