Government backs innovative projects for children and families

Three projects with ambitious plans to transform children’s services in their areas have been awarded a share of more than £7 million in government grant funding as part of the Children’s Social Care Innovation programme.

The funding from the Department for Education will support projects led by adoption charity Coram, the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Dorset County Council.

Coram will use its share of the innovation programme funding to support local authorities in Northamptonshire, Manchester, Reading and Slough to make better use of data to understand the needs of the children in their care. It will also be carrying out work on fostering, including looking at post-18 support.

Bradford MDC will deliver its Rethinking Social Care project over the next 2 years. The project aims to provide integrated care for children and young people with the most complex needs.

Meanwhile, Dorset County Council plans to use its funding to improve outcomes for children and families in the county, including through providing additional training and development for staff. The project has been funded for 2 years.

Edward Timpson, Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families, said:

'It is fantastic to see the range of projects funded as part of the innovation programme, and it is clear to me that this work is helping to transform children’s services. We know that children thrive when the professionals who care for them are given the freedom to turn their passion and expertise into providing life-changing support. The department has worked with each one of these projects to look at what we can learn from their ideas, and it is good to see that many of them will continue to support vulnerable children and families in the future.'