Families First - tell us your views
Please tell us your views on how you think families would want to access support.
As part of a national reform of social care, we in Kent are developing a new model within statutory children’s services to help make sure children, young people and families receive the right support, at the right time, in a way that feels joined up and easy to navigate. The Families First Programme aims to bring services together more smoothly, reduce the number of times families have to repeat their story, and make it simpler to get help when it’s needed. To do this well, we want to design it with the people who know these services best, our local families. Whether you’ve received support through your GP or health professional, school, Family Hub, Early Help, Social Care or Child Protection services, or you simply want to share your thoughts, we would love to hear from you. Your experiences help us understand what it really feels like to use services: what works well, what feels difficult, and what could make things better. There are no right or wrong answers, just your lived experience, which is exactly what we need.
As part of this work, we’re strengthening services by building on what already makes a difference, and making sure families are supported by the right people from the very beginning. This includes creating a shared Family Help Service with a dedicated Family Help Lead Practitioner that remains with the family throughout their journey, and making assessments and plans more joined up, so families spend less time repeating information and more time getting support that works for them. We’re also creating Multi Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs), which will bring experienced professionals together to share information, make decisions collaboratively, and provide coordinated, timely and family-centred support. These changes are all designed to help services feel more connected, more responsive, and more supportive so children, young people and families get the help they need, when they need it, in a way that feels respectful, welcoming and easy to access.