Hertfordshire’s Family Safeguarding model really helped us, say parents and carers

Parents and carers said the course of their children’s lives had changed for the better, as a result of family safeguarding

A Department for Education (DfE) evaluation has shown that the innovative child protection model developed in Hertfordshire was effective at keeping more children safely within their families and helping parents to achieve lasting change.

DfE funding to test the evidence base of the model in four additional authorities - Luton, West Berkshire, Peterborough and Bracknell Forest - has also achieved statistically significant improvements.

The model works by having parental mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse specialists working together with children’s social workers, within one team.

All staff are highly trained in Motivational Interviewing, a counselling model that created confidence in parents to change their behaviours that cause harm to their children.

All team members record their work on a new practice guidance and recording system, developed in Hertfordshire with the support of LiquidLogic.

The DfE evaluation supports the wider roll-out of Family Safeguarding, as it demonstrates the potential to improve outcomes and save money over time. The report found a high-level of energy and enthusiasm for the family safeguarding model.

The report shows that since implementation of the new ways of working during 2018, the number of children coming into care across the five authorities has reduced by up to 30 per cent.

Teresa Heritage, cabinet member for children, young people and families at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “I’m so proud that this model, developed locally by practitioners in Hertfordshire, has been making such a difference to children and families in other local authorities.

"As a result of this innovative and collaborative practice, we are improving the lives of our most vulnerable children and families, fewer children are coming into care and by investing in different ways of safeguarding children, we are reducing costs across partner agencies.”

Following the successful roll-out of the family safeguarding model across local authorities in Luton, Bracknell, Peterborough and West Berkshire a new Family Safeguarding Project Team and funding has been provided by the DfE for other authorities to implement the model in Cambridgeshire, Walsall, Lancashire, Telford & Wrekin, Wandsworth and Swindon.