Published December 2020
Welcome to the first issue of the Strengthening Families Journal – the quarterly publication dedicated to capturing learning from the Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
SFPC is a five-year Department for Education programme to support local authorities improve their work with families and safely reduce the number of children entering care by implementing successful sector-designed innovations.
The Strengthening Families Journal will diffuse learning from the programme, and model and support best practice in the successful adoption of innovation. The Journal will also connect programme learning to a wider evidence and policy context, contributing to knowledge in the sector.
Who is the journal for?
The Strengthening Families Journal is intended for people working in, and in partnership with, children’s social care. Directors and service managers and frontline practitioners, along with partners from education, health, housing, police and adult services, will all find articles relevant to their work. In fact, anyone interested in the role innovation has to play in improving children’s lives will find something of interest.
What is included?
Throughout the Journal, you will read about the impact innovation in children’s social care has had on the lives of children, young people and families, as well as the mechanisms by which innovations are being implemented by local authorities around the country.
About the first issue
The theme of this first issue is the ways in which local authorities participating in the programme are responding to COVID-19. We explore how authorities are successfully supporting and adopting innovation during a pandemic – overcoming challenges and adapting approaches.
The articles highlight some of the outstanding work that has continued to progress during this challenging time, supplemented by up-to-date research and evidence from the UK and around the world.
Includes
- Scaling Innovation: Learning from the Innovators
- Building Relationships: A Remote, Restorative, and Relational Approach
- Responding to Need: Revisiting the Children Act 1989
- ‘Building the plane while flying it’: Rochdale’s Adoption of No Wrong Door
- Making a Difference: The Impact on Children, Young People and Families
- Programme Insights: Adopters’ Survey
Each journal publication will capture the latest and most relevant learning from the SFPC programme, considering the current context of the wider sector. The articles have been developed with contributions from the SFPC partnership, including the innovator and adopter local authorities who write about their experiences first hand.
Do you have any feedback?
We would welcome your feedback on the Journal so we can ensure the series adds as much value as possible. Look out for opportunities to provide feedback via reader reviews, surveys and social media in the coming months on our website.