Families First: keeping the focus on what we are trying to change

Over the summer, we have been developing a new programme of Families First conversations, webinars and practical resources, which we will be sharing over the coming months.

We are genuinely excited about it.

Families First represents a significant opportunity to strengthen the way children and families are supported: providing help earlier, developing more integrated Family Help, strengthening multi-agency child protection, making greater use of family networks and creating more consistent, relationship-based and whole-family practice.

Across the country, local areas are now working hard to turn those ambitions into workable local arrangements. There is a huge amount to do – developing operating models, clarifying roles and responsibilities, establishing teams and pathways, strengthening partnerships, preparing the workforce and putting the systems and leadership arrangements around all of this.

At Interface, we are very keen to play our part in helping areas get this right.

We are already working alongside local authorities and their partners as they develop and implement Families First. That gives us the opportunity to hear directly about the questions areas are grappling with, the challenges emerging in practice and the approaches that are beginning to make a difference.

Over the coming months, we want to bring that learning together with the experience of our associates and our wider work in whole-family practice, workforce development, leadership, multi-agency working and evaluation.

Our aim is to create useful spaces to think, reflect and learn together – and practical resources that help leaders and the workforce translate the reforms into everyday practice.

_{The questions we will be exploring}

We will be looking at some of the questions we think really matter as implementation progresses:

• What are we actually trying to change for children and families?
• What does good Family Help look like in practice?
• What does the workforce need to work differently and confidently?
• What will it take for Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams to become genuinely integrated teams?
• What are we learning as implementation progresses?
• And how will we know whether Families First is actually making a difference?

These are not questions with one simple answer. Areas are starting from different places and developing models that reflect their local context. We want to use the series to explore the principles that need to sit underneath those different approaches, share learning from implementation and keep bringing the conversation back to children, families and practice.

_{Starting with the purpose: what are we actually trying to change?}

Our first recorded conversation will take place in September: Families First: what are we actually trying to change?

Interface Managing Director Wendy Weal will be joined by associates Sue Gill and Jo Adams to step back from the mechanics of implementation and consider the purpose behind the reforms.

We will explore why change is needed, what should actually feel different to a child or family if Families First is working well, what concepts such as seamless Family Help, whole-family working and relationship-based practice mean in reality, and what leaders need to keep sight of as implementation gathers pace.

It feels like an important place to start. Structures, roles, pathways and processes all matter. But ultimately, their purpose is to create the conditions for children and families to experience better, earlier and more joined-up help – and for the workforce and partners around them to be able to work differently.

_{What’s coming next?}

Our programme over the coming months will include:

• September – Families First: what are we actually trying to change?
  Recorded conversation.
• October – What does good Family Help look like?
  Recorded conversation, with practical learning and resources.
• November – Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams: what will it take to make them work in practice?
  Recorded expert conversation.
• November – Building the Family Help workforce
  Live webinar exploring what the reforms mean for practitioners, managers, leaders and partners.
• December – What are we learning about Families First implementation?
  A reflective conversation drawing together learning as implementation develops.
• February – How do you know whether Families First is working?
  Live webinar and practical framework looking at family experience, practice, workforce, partnerships, systems and outcomes.

We will also be producing articles and practical resources from the conversations so that people can access the learning in different ways.

_{Learning alongside the sector}

Families First will continue to develop over the coming months, and so will our thinking.

We want this programme to reflect what areas are actually experiencing. We will continue listening to the local authorities, partners, leaders and practitioners we work with, bringing together recurring learning and asking some of the more difficult questions that emerge as new arrangements move from design into practice.

For Interface, this is an important part of our commitment to turning policy into practice.

We want to be at the forefront of supporting areas to make Families First work – building the leadership, workforce capability, partnerships and practice needed to turn the ambition of the reforms into meaningful and sustainable change for children and families.

Look out for our first Families First conversation later this month, with further recordings, webinars and practical resources to follow.