The Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme was launched by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2014 to improve outcomes for children in need of help from the social care system. It is supporting innovative ideas to flourish and enabling policy and practice to be driven by evidence and best practice.

Alongside the Innovation Programme, DfE is working with some of the best leaders and practitioners in children’s social care through the Partners in Practice programme. This programme aims to support wider improvement across the children’s social care system through understanding and sharing what works in improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Innovation and improvement is also being realised through a significant set of reforms to local safeguarding children arrangements, which were introduced in June 2018. These reforms offer local areas greater flexibility in how they organise their safeguarding arrangements and unlock the potential for improvement.

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Innovation Programme Partners in Practice Multi-agency safeguarding reform

Press release 24 April 2020

Multi-million support for vulnerable children during COVID-19

Vulnerable children most at risk of neglect, violence or exploitation will benefit from extra support to keep them safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.

More than £12 million will be spent on 14 projects across the country to tackle the increased risk some children and young people are facing as they stay at home to reduce the spread of coronavirus. This will include money to pay for individual support for families at risk of domestic abuse, community volunteers to work with families, and continued support for teenagers at risk of exploitation.

The £12 million package includes work on:

Adolescent exploitation:
For teenagers across North London who experience multiple risks, bringing together NHS, social care, police, criminal justice and third sector services under one roof – a “child house” to support children and families affected by child sexual abuse and exploitation

• Domestic abuse support:
  Through a domestic abuse programme in Newham that works with whole families, to reduce the chances of it from happening in the first place through early intervention, and where a designated social worker will work intensively with families if risks escalate
• Children in care:
  Various programmes around the country to build lasting support networks for children and families in the care system including foster parents, to prevent social isolation at this time, as well as finding homes for young people leaving care;
• Mental health support:
  Families in Camden will receive a range of services from which families choose the ones they want to rely on, including mediation, mentoring, family therapy and youth support

Further information on this announcement is available on Gov.uk