There are over 150,000 children nationally whose needs are considered serious enough to warrant a social work assessment, but who do not go on to become a ‘child in need’. A smaller subset of these children will be assessed by social workers twice within a 12-month period but will not, either time, receive a statutory service. In addition to these groups, there are a number of families with disabled children who need help and support in order to prevent the risk of their children being moved in to residential care.

Innovation Programme projects in this area are testing diifferent appoaches to targeted support. This is in order to understand the sort of interventions that are most effective for children and their families, and prevent their needs escalating and requiring more costly interventions.