Creating stable family homes built on love

Bury Council has adopted a new way of working with the aim of helping children to remain safely at home with their families.

Bury is the first local authority in Greater Manchester to implement the new Family Safeguarding Model, and one of just 19 nationwide. It was founded by Hertfordshire County Council in 2015 and has significantly reduced the number of children being taken into care.

At its heart is bringing together a wide range of professionals who will support parents to become better equipped to meet the demands of parenting.

Cllr Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: “If we want a borough where all communities can thrive and look forward to a bright future, this starts with creating stable homes for children and young people.

“Every family deserves help and support for their children. Under this new model, we will work with the whole family to enable and support positive change, working with parents to build on strengths and identify positive changes.

“We know that every family is different, and some families need a bit more support, and become equipped with the right skills.

“All the evidence shows that Family Safeguarding delivers better outcomes. It brings together specialists in adult social work – covering issues like domestic abuse, substance abuse and mental health - to work in an integrated way with our children’s social work teams.

“With this wider set of tools, we can make positive changes which address the needs of the whole family.”

England’s chief social worker Isabelle Trowler sent a video of support for the Bury launch. She said: “At the DfE we recognise that the launch of your new Family Safeguarding service is a fantastic opportunity for Bury and getting to the point of implementation is a major celebration for Bury.”

She added that: “Family safeguarding gets the balance right between the need for help and protection and recognises the wide variety of knowledge and skill needed if we’re really going to change help families change.”

For more details of how the new Family Safeguarding model will work in Bury, and the results it can have for children and families, see What is Family Safeguarding - Bury Council