Government announces new £270m Children's Social Care Prevention Grant

The government has confirmed plans to allocate an extra £270 million to fund local authority early help and family support services in 2025/26, as part of a new Children's Social Care Prevention Grant. This grant aims to invest in the national rollout of "family help," prevention services, and child protection reforms.

Councils are expected to benefit from this funding through the Family Hubs and Start For Life programme, enabling them to continue delivering essential services. The funding will also support the implementation of family-group decision-making measures, as outlined in the government's recent children's social care white paper, Keeping Families Safe, Helping Children Thrive.

The funding should cover the entire spectrum of preventative services, including early help, Family Help, Family Networks, and child protection. Service delivery should align with the Children's social care: national framework - GOV.UK and support local areas in implementing the government's ambitions for national reform to prevention services, as outlined in the policy paper Keeping children safe, helping families thrive - GOV.UK.

The reforms build on evidence from other government-funded programmes, such as the Supporting Families Programme, Strengthening Families, Protecting Children, and Families First for Children Pathfinder.

To see a draft grant determination for local authorities, see HERE