The government has announced £36m in funding for 11 children’s social care projects across England.
The funding comes from the Department for Education’s £200m children’s social care innovation fund, which ministers hope will develop best practice and boost the quality of support for children. The announcement comes alongside the publication of evaluations for 10 projects already funded through the scheme.
Under the latest round of funding, an £11.6m investment will see the Hertfordshire family safeguarding model model extended to Luton, Peterborough, Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire. The introduction of the project in Hertfordshire saw the council halve its number of child protection plans in 18 months.
The Family Rights Group has been awarded £5 million to develop a model to create life-long support networks for children and young people in care called ‘Lifelong Links’. Northamptonshire council has received £4 million to help establish its children’s services trust, and The Fostering Network’s mockingbird model of foster care has been backed with £3.8 million to expand into new areas.
Life-changing
The DfE has also awarded £1.4m to Slough children’s services trust to support its transformation programme. Hackney council has been awarded £2 million to test ‘contextual safeguarding theory’, while Havering council has been given £2.4 million to offer a multi-agency service for 11-24 year olds.
Edward Timpson, children’s minister, said the projects were an opportunity to provide children with life-changing support.
“By giving professionals the freedom to develop new and innovative ways of working, these fantastic projects will help make a real difference to children’s lives. I look forward to seeing them deliver great results in the future.”
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 
Hampshire County Council 
Lincolnshire County Council 
Norfolk County Council 
Northamptonshire Children’s Trust 
South Gloucestershire Council 
Wiltshire Council 
Wokingham Borough Council 
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Any money coming up North???
Here’s an innovation we could consider.
Return to ‘patch offices’ rather than h8ubs so that we can actually interact with local people and not travel miles for a visit and so that they could see us without having to travel miles.
Put back good admin services (not Capita who should be sacked)
Get rid of repetitive pointless paperwork, including Signs of Safety which is highly unwieldy.
Go back to paperwork rather than computer systems which crash or go slow every day or get a system that works and is for purpose
Get rid of the latest ‘Practice Managers’ and put back proper team managers who know what they are doing and actually support staff.
Stop listening to DFE and Ofsted all the time, they are not Social Care based and really don’t understand Social Care
Get rid of HCPC
Allow SWs to do the job they applied for, working with families and kids