Purpose

Proposed
decision:
 
That the Cabinet Member for
Integrated Children’s Services:
 
1.   
APPROVE the acceptance of the Children’s
Social Care Prevention Grant from the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government (MHCLG and deployment of the grant
funding in accordance with the grant conditions.

2.   
APPROVE the development of the required Families
First model to comply with anticipated legislation and Families
First programme guidance principles.

3.   
Delegate the detailed service design and acceptance
of future years grants to the Corporate Director of Children, Young
People and Education.
 
 
Reason for the decision
The decision is
required to formalise the acceptance and allocation of the
Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant, which has already
been confirmed by the MHCLG. This funding provides a critical
opportunity to implement the Families First transformation model,
as outlined below, which aligns with national reform priorities and
KCC’s strategic objectives for children’s services.
The Government have indicated grant funding will
continue for at least the next two years.
 
Delegating authority
to the Corporate Director of Children’s Services will enable
timely commencement of transformation activity and ensure effective
operational oversight and delivery within the scope of the
grant.
 
Background – Provide brief additional context
 
Introduction
The national
government has launched the Families First Partnership (FFP)
programme, initially backed by over £500 million of funding
for the 2025/26 financial year, including £253m of new
ring-fenced funding from the MHCLG known as the Children’s
Social Care Prevention Grant. This investment is intended to
support local authorities and their partners to design and
implement end-to-end system reform focused on providing effective
early help, family support and child protection
services.
 
The Families First
Partnership programme was developed in response to recommendations
from: The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, and
The Child Safeguarding Practice
Review Panel’s
report on child protection in England.
 
These reforms bring a
significant shift and refocus on how we help, protect and support
children and families.
 
Families First
Partnership programme’s objective was to design and implement
a new, end-to-end system for children’s social care reform,
focusing on four key areas:

·  
Strengthening multi-agency safeguarding
arrangements.

·  
Establishing targeted, multi-disciplinary Family
Help services for children and families eligible for, or receiving
targeted early help and/or Child in Need services.

·  
Introducing expert-led, dedicated Multi-Agency Child
Protection Teams (MACPTs), including lead child protection
practitioners and an expanded parental support offer.

·  
Providing practical and financial support for family
networks throughout the reformed system
 
A successful Families
First programme in Kent will deliver:

·  
A fully integrated, family-centred system of
support

·  
Strong multi-agency collaboration and shared
accountability

·  
Families receiving and accessing the right help at
the right time from trusted practitioners who understand their
story, coordinating support and providing consistent presence
throughout their journey

·  
Financial sustainability, ensuring that resources are used efficiently to deliver
long-term value and improved outcomes.
 
Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant 25/26
The grant is
ring-fenced and we would expect that the grant money will be spent
across the same strands of activity as set out by the
MHCLG:

·  
Transformation activity

·  
Workforce

·  
Service delivery

·  
Partner agency funding
 
The Government’s
commitment to the Families First model has been reconfirmed by the
Chancellor’s statement to Parliament, which
included£555 million over the next 2 years
from the Transformation Fund for 2026-27 and 2027-28 for
children’s social care reform. £523
million provided for the Families First Programme in 2025-26 will
continue in each year of the Spending Review period (£523m
each year from 2026-27 – 2028-29). There is no
indication of how this grant will be split between Local
Authorities.
 
Final decision-making
on the acceptance and deployment plans for the funding will be
taken once the full details are available from the DfE.
 
Options (other options considered but discarded)
The MHCLG have already
confirmed the Council’s Children’s Social Care
Prevention Grant allocation for 2025/2026. The alternative option
is to refuse this funding. The implementation of the new Families
First Model is currently being debated in Parliament, through the
Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and is expected to become a
legal requirement. Therefore, refusing this funding would mean any
costs associated with implementation of this new model would have
to be met solely by the Council’s existing budget.
 
Considering the
Council’s current financial pressures, the utilisation of
this grant presents a timely and appropriate opportunity to support
service transformation and improve outcomes for children and
families.
 
How the proposed decision supports the

Framing Kent's Future
- Our Council Strategy 2022-2026
The changes to how
Children Services are delivered will be mandated through the
Children Wellbeing and Schools bill which is making its way through
Parliament and every Local Authority is expected to implement these
reforms. Formally accepting the
Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and
delegating authority to the Director for Children Services to spend
the grant is in line with Priority 4: New models of care and
support in the
Framing Kent's Future
- Our Council Strategy 2022-2026.
 
How the
proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022
-2026:
Securing Kents Future
- Budget Recovery Strategy.pdf
The changes to how
Children Services are delivered will be mandated through the
Children Wellbeing and Schools bill which it’s making its way
through Parliament. The bill will specify various expectations for
reform and will mandate every Local Authority to reform children
services. By declining the acceptance of the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant for 2025-26 and in
future years, KCC will have to identify its own financial resources
to support the transformation activity creating more financial
pressures for the Council.
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Integrated
Children’s Services, I agree to:
 

APPROVE the
acceptance of the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant
from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
(MHCLG) and deployment of the grant funding in accordance with the
grant conditions

 
2.   
APPROVE the development of the required Families
First model to comply with anticipated legislation and Families
First programme guidance principles.
 
3.   
Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of
Children, Young People and Education , after consultation with the
Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, to review
and agree to the required terms and conditions to enter into the
necessary grant arrangements.
 
4.   
Delegate authority for the detailed service design
and operational transformation activity to the Corporate Director
of Children, Young People and Education.
 
5.   
Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of
Children, Young People and Education, after consultation with the
Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, to accept
and deploy future years’ allocations of the Children’s
Social Care Prevention Grant , provided funding is given on similar
terms.
 
6.   
Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of
Children, Young People and Education to take other necessary
actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts or
other legal agreements, as required to implement the
decision.