Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031
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Democratic Services Location: Phase II DDI: 01895 250185 CMD No: 2026/1836 To: COUNCILLOR SUSAN O’BRIEN CABINET MEMBER FOR ADULTS, CHILDREN, HEALTH & CARE c.c. All Members of the Children, Families, Health & Care Select Committee c.c. Julie Kelly , Corporate Director of Children’s Services c.c. Valentin Danciu, Assistant Director – Family Help Date: 30 October 2026 Non-Key Decision request Form D Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031 Dear Cabinet Members, Attached is a report requesting that a decision be made by you as an individual Cabinet Member. Democratic Services confirm that this is not a key decision, as such, the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 notice period does not apply. You should take a decision on or after Monday 9 November 2026 in order to meet Constitutional requirements about publication of decisions that are to be made. You may wish to discuss the report with the Corporate Director before it is made. Please indicate your decision on the duplicate memo supplied and return it to me when you have made your decision. I will then arrange for the formal notice of decision to be published. Liz Penny Democratic Services Title of Report: Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031 Decision made: Reasons for your decision: (e.g. as stated in report) Alternatives considered and rejected: (e.g. as stated in report) Signed ……………………………………………………… Date…………………….. Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Health & Care Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 1 Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031 Cabinet Member Lead Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Health & Care (Cllr O'Brien) Chief Officer responsible Corporate Director of Children's Services Report author Valentin Danciu, Assistant Director – Family Help Report classification and reason Public For General Release Relevant Committee Children, Families, Health & Care Electoral Ward All Wards 1. Executive Summary This report asks the Cabinet Member to approve the Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031. The strategy sets out how the Council and its partners will help children and families whose needs go beyond what universal services can meet, and how they will protect children at risk of significant harm. It brings together targeted early help, support for children in need, multi-agency child protection and Family Group Decision Making, as required by the national Families First Partnership Programme and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. It replaces the Stronger Families Strategy 2021–2025. Hillingdon has been an early adopter of the reforms. Its locality -based Family Help service launched on 27 August 2025, with full implementation across all areas expected by the deadline of April 2027. The strategy consolidates national reform expectations, parental and children' s needs a nd feedback and sets the partnership's direction to 2031. It sets one vision, six priorities and six outcomes for children, with shared measures, baselines and targets; commitments from every partner, including the police, health, schools, housing and the voluntary s ector; and clear governance through the Family Help Delivery Group, the Executive Transformation Group and the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership. It supports all six Council Priorities 2026 –2030 and the High Five Children's Services Commitments and is aligned with the Best Start in Life Strategy, the Care Strategy, the SEND Reform Plan and the Youth Justice Strategy. The strategy was co- produced between May and October 2026 with partners, parents and practitioners. An Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (Appendix B) finds that it is expected to have a positive impact across all protected characteristics and sets out actions to mitigate the potential negative impacts it identifies, starting with reporting the equality profile of the families who receive Family Help. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 2 The strategy does not in itself commit the C ouncil to new spending. It will be delivered within existing budgets and national Families First grant funding. 2. Recommendation(s) That the Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Health & Care: 1) Approves the Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026 –2031 set out in Appendix A, which replaces the Stronger Families Strategy 2021–2025; 2) Notes the engagement with partners, parents, carers and practitioners that has shaped the strategy, as summarised in section 7 of this report; 3) Notes the Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment at Appendix B and agrees its action plan; 4) Notes that the strategy is a partnership strategy and will also be presented to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership for endorsement; 5) Delegates authority to the Corporate Director of Children's Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Membe r, to make minor or non- material amendments to the strategy before publication, including its final design, accessible and community - language versions, data updates and the annual refresh of its delivery plan. 3. Reasons for decision 1) The Council and its statutory safeguarding partners must implement Family Help, multi - agency child protection and Family Group Decision Making under the Families First Partnership Programme and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, with the reforms fully in place by March 2027. An approved strategy gives the partnership a clear, shared direction, and replaces a strategy that ended in 2025. 2) The strategy has been co- produced with partners, parents and practitioners, and the decision should take account of what they said and how it has shaped the strategy. 3) The Council must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty. The assessment shows the strategy is expected to have a positive impact, and its action plan addresses the potential negative impacts identified. 4) Under Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026, Family Help and multi-agency child protection are shared responsibilities. Endorsement by the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership secures every partner's commitment and accountability. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 3 5) The delegation allows the strategy to be kept accurate, accessible and up to date without a further formal decision for minor changes. Any significant change of direction would return to the Cabinet Member. 4. Proposal National and local context 1. The Families First Partnership Programme is the government's reform of family support and child protection in England. It requires local safeguarding partners to bring targeted early help and support for children in need together into a single Family Help offer, to set up multi -agency child protection teams, and to involve wider family networks through Family Group Decision Making. The programme guide (Year 2, March 2026) expects the reforms to be fully in place by March 2027. 2. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Royal Assent 29 April 2026) puts multi - agency child protection teams, the offer of family group decision- making and new information-sharing arrangements, including a single unique identifier for children, on a statutory footing. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 and the Children's Social Care National Framework 2026 set out what partners must do. 3. The Stronger Families Strategy 2021 –2025, which set the direction for early help, has ended. What the strategy sets out 4. Vision: every child in Hillingdon grows up safe, happy, healthy, loved and able to thrive, supported by strong families, connected communities, and help that arrives early and makes a lasting difference. 5. Six priorities: help from professionals that families know and trust; the right support early; children and families at the centre of decisions and plans; strong local networks; professionals working together; and keeping children safely within their families. 6. Six outcomes: children are safe and protected from harm; their needs are identified early and addressed; they are happy and healthy; learning, engaged and thriving; living in stable and loving homes; and have positive relationships and social connections. Progress will be tracked through shared measures, with baselines and targets agreed by the Family Help Delivery Group by December 2026, using targets already set in other Hillingdon strategies where they exist, and the Department for Education's quarterly Families Firs t indicators. 7. How we work: the STARS practice model (strengths -based, trauma- informed, aspirational, relational and safety-driven), shared with the Care Strategy and the Best Start in Life Strategy; one front door, one assessment and one live plan, so families tell their Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 4 story once; Family Group Decision Making and Family Network Support Packages; advocacy and family voice; and equality and anti-racist practice. 8. Partnership commitments: Chapter 7 of the strategy sets out what each partner will do differently, including the police, health (the integrated care board, community and hospital providers and GPs), schools and early years settings, housing, the Hillingdon Domestic Abuse Advocacy Service, Best Start Family Hubs and the voluntary, community and faith sector. Each partner will name a lead through the Family Help Delivery Group. 9. Delivery and governance: the delivery plan runs to March 2027, when Families First requirements must be fully embedded, and then into annual cycles of improvement to 2031, with a full review in 2029. The Family Help Delivery Group coordinates delivery and reports to the Executive Transformation Group, which brings the statutory safeguarding partners together monthly and is accountable to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership. An annual report will come to the Cabinet Member. Alignment with council and partnership plans 10. The strategy delivers the Council Priorities 2026–2030 (section 6) and the High Five Chil- dren's Services Commitments, which are mapped in the strategy and set out in full at its Appendix 8. It is aligned with the Best Start in Life Strategy 2026–2031, under which Family Hubs become the main front door for early support, including for children with SEND; the Care Strategy 2025– 2030; the SEND Reform Plan 2026 –2029; and the Youth Justice Strategy 2024–2029. 5. Corporate implications Financial (mandatory) Y Equalities impact assessment Y Legal (mandatory) Y Workforce Y Alternative options (mandatory) Y Public Health Risk management (mandatory) Y External partners Y Heathrow Expansion (new) Y Communications Y Asset Committee comments Procurement & contract social value Digital Y Planning Other Climate Change Other a) Financial The Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026- 2031 is a strategic framework and does not, in itself, commit the Council to any additional expenditure beyond that already approved through the budget-setting process. Delivery of the strategy will be met from existing Children's Services budgets together with government grant funding received to support the implem entation of the Families First Partnership Programme. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 5 The strategy is intended to strengthen early intervention and family support arrangements, which may contribute to improved outcomes for children and families and help manage future demand pressures across Children's Services. Any future proposals arising from the implementation of the strategy that have additional financial implications for the Council will be subject to separate financial appraisal, consideration through the Council's governance processes and, where required, approval through the Medium Term Financial Forecast and budget-setting process. There are therefore no direct additional financial implications arising from the recommendations contained within this report. Legal The strategy is grounded in statutory requirements under the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. These Acts collectively mandate the implementation of Family Help, multi-agency child protection teams, and Family Group Decision Making. The strategy also aligns with statutory guidance, including "Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026," ensuring compliance with national reforms. There are no legal impediments to the recommendations in the report. • the Children Act 2004, including section 10 (co- operation to improve children's wellbeing), section 11 (arrangements to safeguard and promote welfare) and sections 16E to 16K (local safeguarding arrangements with the police and integrated care board); • the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, as its provisions on multi -agency child protection teams, family group decision-making and information sharing come into force; • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026, which is statutory guidance the council must follow under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970; • the Equality Act 2010, section 149 (Public Sector Equality Duty), which the Cabinet Member must have due regard to in making this decision (section 5e and Appendix B); • the Human Rights Act 1998, in particular Article 8 (respect for private and family life). Interventions must be lawful, necessary and proportionate; and • UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, which apply to information sharing under the strategy. The decision falls within the Cabinet Member's delegated authority and is listed on the Forward Plan. The strategy does not change any statutory threshold or service eligibility, and does not propose closing or reducing any service, so no statutory public consultation is required. Any future service change arising from it would be subject to its own consultation and equality assessment. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 6 b) Alternative options Alternative Options Rationale for rejecting option Option A – A council-only Children's Services strategy Rejected. Family Help and multi-agency child protection are shared responsibilities under Working Together 2026 and the Families First programme. A council-only strategy would not secure the commitments of the police, health, schools, housing and the voluntary sector. Option B – Delay until national guidance is final or the MACPT is fully implemented Rejected. National guidance will continue to evolve, and delay would hold back the shared commitments and governance needed to meet the March 2027 deadline. The annual review allows the strategy to be updated as guidance changes. Do nothing Rejected. The Stronger Families Strategy 2021–2025 has ended and predates the national reforms. Without a strategy, the partnership would lack a shared, published direction, outcomes and accountability, and the council would be less able to demonstrate its arrangements to Ofsted and the Department for Education. Cease activity Not viable. The council has statutory duties to children in need and children at risk of significant harm, and must implement the Families First reforms. National funding for Family Help is linked to delivering them. c) Risk management Risk Mitigation Partners do not have capacity to take on lead practitioner roles or Multi-Agency Child Protection Team membership Commitments agreed in the strategy and named leads confirmed through the Family Help Delivery Group; joint training; unresolved issues escalated to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership. Demand and complexity keep rising (neglect, domestic abuse, SEND, harm outside the home) Earlier help through Family Hubs and localities; quarterly review of demand data; resources targeted where need is greatest. Long waits for specialist services leave families without help Interim support agreed between partners; escalation to the integrated care board and SEND partnership. Workforce recruitment and retention Phase 3 investment; workforce development plan; STARS practice; supervision and learning offer across the partnership. Information is not shared quickly across different systems Information-sharing protocols; data protection impact assessment and adoption of the single unique identifier when introduced under the 2026 Act. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 7 Some groups benefit less, or existing disproportionality continues Equality impact assessment action plan, led by reporting the equality profile of families in Family Help, child protection and care from Q4 2026/27. National funding changes after the current programme Annual review and prioritisation; shared partner resourcing; early engagement in the council budget process. National policy and inspection change, including Ofsted's planned reforms to inspection of local authority children's services Annual refresh of the strategy and delivery plan; horizon scanning by the Family Help Delivery Group. d) Equalities impact assessment An Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment is at Appendix B. It covers all protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, together with socio- economic status, carers, community safety, community cohesion and human rights. It concludes that the strategy is expected to have a positive impact for all groups, by making help easier to reach, earlier and less stigmatising, keeping children safely with their families wherever possible and strengthening protection from harm inside and outside the home. It identifies potential negative impacts, mainly for Black and Mixed heritage children, families with limited English, disabled children and parents, families in poverty or with no recourse to public funds, fathers, women experiencing domestic abuse, LGBTQ + young people and young adults moving into adulthood, and potential effects on privacy and on staff. None justifies changing the strategy, and each is mitigated through an action plan. The first action is to report the equality profile of the families who receive Family Help, which is not yet done routinely. The assessment will be reviewed each year with the strategy. e) Workforce The strategy does not propose any restructure or change to terms and conditions. Chapter 8 of the strategy sets out a workforce development plan for Children's Services and partners, including STARS practice, Family Group Decision Making, anti -racist practice and multi -agency training. Any future workforce change would follow the council's HR policies and have its own equality assessment. f) External partners This is a partnership strategy. The police, the integrated care board, health providers, schools, housing, the Hillingdon Domestic Abuse Advocacy Service, Best Start Family Hubs and the voluntary, community and faith sector have helped shape it and have agreed commitments in Chapter 7. The strategy will be presented to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership for endorsement, and partners will be held to account through the Family Help Delivery Group and the Executive Transformation Group. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 8 g) Communications Once approved, the strategy will be published on the Council's website, with parent-friendly, child- friendly and easy -read summaries and versions in community languages on request. It will be launched with partners and staff, and progress will be shared each year through the annual review and 'You said, we did' feedback to families. h) Digital The strategy relies on effective information sharing between agencies and on the online Care and Support Directory. A data protection impact assessment will be completed before any new information-sharing system or the single unique identifier for children is introduced. i) Heathrow Expansion There are no direct implications. Heathrow is an entry point for unaccompanied and trafficked children, and the strategy's harm outside the home pathway and partnership with the police address this. Any change in population or demand arising from expansion will be considered through the strategy's annual review. 6. Delivering the Cabinet’s Priorities 2026-2030 The Council’s ambition is to make Hillingdon an even better place to live, work and invest. This report supports the delivery of the following Cabinet Priorities: 1 Being easy to deal with Y One front door through the 24-hour Stronger Families Hub, one assessment and one live plan, so families tell their story once, with Family Hubs bringing services together locally and the online Care and Support Directory. 2 Being brilliant at the basics Y Working with the police and community safety partners to identify and disrupt exploitation and serious youth violence and respond to children who go missing, so streets and public spaces are safer for children. 3 Putting our residents first Y A partnership of the Council, police, health, schools, housing and the voluntary sector that protects vulnerable children, helps families stay safely together and listens to families through the parents group and young people's participation groups. 4 Delivering Hillingdon homes for Hillingdon people Y Early housing advice and homelessness prevention for families receiving Family Help, and a lawful, coordinated response to families with no recourse to public funds. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 9 5 Supporting future generations Y Shared outcomes for children's wellbeing, learning and development, including Good Level of Development, school attendance and young people in education, employment or training. 6 Being open for business Y Helping parents into training and work through Family Hub finance, benefits and employment support, and helping young people into education, employment and training. 7. Consultation & engagement The strategy was co-produced between May and October 2026 through: • the Family Help Delivery Group, meeting from 21 May 2026, with representatives from health, education, SEND, domestic abuse services, early years, the voluntary sector and the participation service; • a stakeholder event and partner workshops on 15 July 2026 (police, health, housing, the voluntary sector and a participation officer with lived experience) and 8 September 2026 (headteachers, the Virtual School, SEND, Home-Start, CNWL and housing); • the Families First parents' group, which set out 11 priorities for Family Help; • written feedback on the first draft from the police, Family Hubs, the SEND Advisory Service, parents and the Director of Children's Services; and • written feedback on the second draft (October 2026) from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Hillingdon Domestic Abuse Advocacy Service, Best Start Family Hubs, the SEND Advisory Service and Childcare. Feedback shaped the final strategy. Parents' priorities are reflected throughout, including telling their story once, clear communication, SEND, early mental health support, domestic abuse, housing, support for separated parents and whole-family working. Partners' feedback clarified the police role in the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, strengthened the response to harm outside the home, protected partners' duty to refer safeguarding concerns without delay, and updated the domestic abuse and Family Hubs sections. The strategy includes a 'You said, we did' appendix. Direct engagement with children and young people, and with some seldom-heard groups, has so far been limited. The equality action plan commits to engaging the Children in Care Councils, the Youth Council, Aim High and community groups on child- friendly and parent-friendly versions of the strategy, and through each annual review. No formal public consultation is required because the strategy does not change any service; any future service change will be consulted on separately. Executive Decision Report Cabinet Member 30 October 2026 Classification: Part 1 Public Page 10 8. Timetable for implementation Date Milestone October 2026 Cabinet Member decision, followed by the call-in period. November 2026 Strategy presented to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership for endorsement; published on the council's website with accessible summaries. October–December 2026 Partnership commitments put into practice; each partner names a lead through the Family Help Delivery Group. By December 2026 Baselines and targets agreed for all measures and published in the delivery plan. January–March 2027 Families First requirements confirmed as fully embedded, including the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, by March 2027. Q4 2026/27 First report on the equality profile of families in Family Help, child protection and care. October 2027 First annual review published and reported to the Cabinet Member; equality impact assessment reviewed. 2029 Full review of the strategy alongside the SEND Reform Plan and the Council Priorities 2026–2030. List of appendices attached 1. Appendix A – Hillingdon Family Help Strategy 2026–2031 2. Appendix B – Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment List of Background Papers NIL. 1 Family Help Strategy 2026–2031 Appendix A 2 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................... 4 Foreword from the Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Families and Education .................................................................................................................. 4 Foreword from the Director of Children’s Social Care .......................................... 5 Executive summary .................................................................................................. 6 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Why Family Help is needed ....................................................................... 7 1.2 Statutory and policy framework ................................................................. 8 1.3 Building on our first year of Family Help .................................................... 9 1.4 What the first year has taught us ............................................................... 9 1.5 Parental involvement and engagement ................................................... 10 1.6 Supporting the Council Priorities 2026–2030........................................... 11 2. Understanding Hillingdon's Children, Families and Communities ................ 12 2.1 Demographic Profile and Local Context .................................................. 12 2.2 Emerging need and demand ................................................................... 13 2.3 Equality and disproportionality ................................................................. 14 2.4 Increasing Complexity of Need ................................................................ 15 3. Hillingdon's Family Help Model and Approach................................................ 16 3.1 Locality-Based Support ........................................................................... 18 3.2 Our shared practice model and way of working ....................................... 19 3.3 Parental involvement and engagement ................................................... 20 3.4 Family Group Decision Making ................................................................ 21 3.5 Family Help Assessments and plans ....................................................... 23 4. An integrated network of support for families ................................................. 24 4.1 Continuum of need (Range of support) ................................................... 24 4.2 Early Help offer ........................................................................................ 25 4.3 Multi-Agency Child Protection Team ....................................................... 29 5. Vision for Family Help ........................................................................................ 31 6. Principles ............................................................................................................ 33 6.1 Principles (Beliefs and values that guide decision-making) ..................... 34 6.2 Cross-cutting enablers ............................................................................. 35 7. Family Help Self-assessment ............................................................................ 36 8. Strategic Priorities ............................................................................................. 38 8.1 Our Priorities ............................................................................................ 38 9. Outcomes ............................................................................................................ 39 9.1 Agreed outcomes .................................................................................... 40 3 10. Evidence of impact ........................................................................................... 42 10.1 Quantitative Measures ........................................................................... 44 10.2 Qualitative Measures ............................................................................. 45 10.3 Overall Measure of Success .................................................................. 47 11. Partnership commitments ............................................................................... 47 12. Workforce development .................................................................................. 49 13. Delivery plan ..................................................................................................... 51 14. Governance ...................................................................................................... 54 15. Putting Our Vision into Practice ..................................................................... 56 16. Document control ............................................................................................. 57 Appendices ............................................................................................................. 57 4 Foreword Foreword from the Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Families and Education As Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Health and Care, I am proud of Hillingdon’s commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life. I want every child in our borough to grow up safe, happy, healthy and loved, with the opportunity to learn, thrive and look to the future with confidence. I also know that family life can bring challenges, and that there are times when parents and carers need extra support. When that happens, help should be easy to find, offered early and delivered by people families know and trust. That is the purpose of this Family Help Strategy. It builds on the locality-based service we introduced in August 2025 , bringing targeted early help and children in need services together and strengthening the way the council works with health, education, police, housing , Family Hubs and voluntary and community organisations. Our ambition is a simpler and more joined-up system: one assessment, one live plan and fewer handovers, so families do not have to repeat their story and can receive the right support at the right time and close to home. Most importantly, this strategy has been shaped with children, young people, parents, carers, practitioners and partners. Families have told us they want clear communication, support for the whole family and a genuine say in the decisions that affect them. Through our STARS practice approach and Family Group Decision Making, we will work alongside families, build on their strengths and involve their wider networks wherever it is safe to do so. Safeguarding will remain at the heart of everything we do, along side earlier help, stronger relationships and a shared commitment to keeping children safely connected to their families and communities. I welcome this strategy and the clear commitments it makes through to 2031. Its success will be measured not simply by changes to services, but by the difference children and families experience: children being safer, needs being identified earlier, families feeling heard and supported, and more children growing up in stable, loving homes with strong relationships and opportunities to thrive. I look forward to working with families, communities and our partners to turn this shared ambition into lasting change. Councillor Susan O'Brien Cabinet Member for Adults, Children, Families and Education 5 Foreword from the Director of Children’s Social Care I am proud to lead Children’s Social Care in Hillingdon and to see, every day, the care, skill and determination our practitioners and partners bring to their work with children and families. I also know that families do not experience our services through structures or job titles. They experience the quality of the relationship, whether we listen, whether we understand what life is really like for their child and whether the help we offer makes a meaningful difference. That is why this strategy matters to me. During our first year of Family Help , I have seen the benefits of bringing services together around families and reducing unnecessary changes of worker. I have also heard clearly from families and staff that changing structures is only the start. What matters is how consistently we translate that change into thoughtful assessments, honest conversations, timely decisions and practical support. For me, safeguarding must remain at the heart of everything we do. Helping families earlier should enable us to recognise concerns sooner, understand the child’s lived experience and act before difficulties become crises. It must never mean losing sight of risk. Where a child is unsafe, I expect us to share information quickly, bring the right professionals together and take clear and decisive action. I want families to experience us as people who work with them, not as a system that does things to them. Our STARS approach reflects the kind of practice I believe in: compassionate and relational, curious about trauma and identity, ambitious for every child and always grounded in safety. Family Group Decision Making builds on this by giving families and the people who matter to them a genuine opportunity to shape plans and find solutions that can last. I am equally clear that our workforce needs the right conditions to do this well. Practitioners should feel supported by strong supervision, confident professional challenge and leaders who are visible and willing to remove barriers. No single service can meet the needs of a child or family alone, so I expect all of us across children’s services, health, education, police, housing and the voluntary and community sector to take responsibility for the part we play and to resolve differences without allowing delay or drift. We will keep listening to children, parents, carers, practitioners and our partners and we will be honest about what is working and where we need to do better. Data, audits and performance information are important, but they only tell part of the story. I want us to pay equal attention to whether families feel heard, whether children can see their experiences reflected in their plans and whether our involvement has helped life become safer and more stable. My commitment is to lead a culture that combines compassion with high expectations: one where people feel able to speak openly, challenge respectfully, learn from mistakes and take pride in good practice. We will use evidence to hold ourselves to account, confront disproportionality and make sure that children and families whose voices are less often heard receive the same quality of help and protection. This strategy sets the direction, but its success will be determined by what children and families experience in practice. I am personally committed to working alongside our workforce, partners and communities to make that ambition real and to ensuring that, when a family needs us, we respond with humanity, clarity and a relentless focus on the child. Tehseen Kauser, Director of Children’s Social Care. 6 Executive summary Hillingdon’s Family Help Strategy sets the partnership’s direction from 2026 to 2031. It builds on the locality -based Family Help service introduced in August 2025 and describes how the council, health, education, police, housing, Family Hubs and voluntary, community and faith organisations will provide earlier, coordinated help while maintaining a clear and decisive response when children need protection. Why change is needed Families are experiencing increasingly connected needs, including poverty, housing instability, domestic abuse, poor mental health, SEND, school attendance concerns and harm outside the home. Too often, separate pathways have required families to repeat th eir story, created changes of worker and delayed coordinated action. The strategy responds by creating a simpler whole-system offer built around one assessment, one live plan and the professional best placed to lead. What families should experience Families should receive help earlier, closer to home and from people they know and trust. They should understand what professionals are worried about, have a genuine say in decisions and be supported to involve safe family and community networks. Through S TARS practice approach and Family Group Decision Making, support will be strengths -based, trauma - informed, aspirational, relational and safety-driven. What will be different The strategy strengthens the Stronger Families Hub as the integrated front door, expands locality Family Help teams, embeds Stronger Together and Family Network Support Packages, develops the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team and a single response to harm outside the home, and sets clear commitments for every partner. It a lso requires interim support when families are waiting for specialist services and expects partners to take the lead practitioner role where they are best placed. How success will be measured Success will be measured by the difference children and families experience: children are safer; needs are identified and addressed earlier; children are healthier and engaged in learning; more children grow up in stable, loving homes; and families have stronger relationships and social connections. Performance data will be considered alongside audits, workforce evidence and feedback from children, families and partners. Progress will be reported quarterly and through an annual public review from October 2027. Delivery and accountability The Family Help Delivery Group will coordinate implementation and hold named partner leads to account. The Executive Transformation Group will address delivery barriers and resource issues, while the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership will provide strategic oversight and assurance. By March 2027, the partnership will confirm that the single Family Help off er, lead practitioner model, one live plan, Family Group Decision Making, Multi-Agency Child Protection Team and supporting protocols are fully embedded. 7 Our vision is that every child in Hillingdon grows up safe, happy, healthy, loved, and able to thrive, supported by strong families, connected communities, and help that arrives early and makes a lasting difference. This vision is achieved through our principles and priorities, the way we work with families, how we measure success, and our accountability and governance arrangements. 1. Introduction 1.1 Why Family Help is needed This strategy explains how Hillingdon’s partnership will provide earlier, more coordinated help for children, young people and families while maintaining a clear safeguarding response when children are at risk. At the heart of this approach is our commitment to listening to children, understanding their lived experiences and ensuring their wishes and feelings are visible in the decisions, assessments and plans that affect them. By working al ongside children and their families, building on their strengths and learning from what they tell us, we will shape support that helps children feel heard, safe and able to thrive. Family Help is part of the national Families First Partnership Programme, introduced in 2025 to make support for children, young people and families easier to access, more connected and more responsive. Its purpose is to ensure families receive the right service, at the right time and at the earliest opportunity, with services working together around the whole family rather than through separate pathways. By listening to children and families, recognising their strengths and offering help early, we can improve children’s wellbeing, address difficulties before they escalate and reduce the need for more intensive intervention. This strategy reflects the updated statutory guidance published in March 2026. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 confirms that Family Help should bring targeted early help and support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 together into one seamless offer, with fewer handovers, one assessment and one live plan. It also strengthens expectations for multi -agency ch ild protection, anti -discriminatory practice, effective information sharing and coordinated responses to harm outside the home. The Children’s Social Care National Framework 2026 sets four connected outcomes that this strategy is designed to deliver : children , young people and families stay together and receive the help they need; children and young people are safe in and outside their homes; children and young people are supported by their family networks; and children in care and care leavers have stable, loving homes. These outcomes are reflected in this strategy’s priorities, partnership commitments and measures of impact. Ofsted’s inspection framework for local authority children’s 8 services has also been updated to reflect the reforms, reinforcing the importance of evidence that children’s lived experiences, wishes and feelings shape assessment, planning and decision-making. 1.2 Statutory and policy framework Family Help and child protection rest on clear statutory duties. Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, the council must safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. Under section 47, it must make enquiries where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. The Children Act 2004 requires relevant partners to cooperate to improve children’s wellbeing. The council, West and North London Integrated Care Board and police are the statutory safeguarding partners and share responsibility for local arrangements to safeguard children, while each agency retains its own statutory responsibilities. The national policy statement Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 provide the direction and legislative foundation for the next phase of reform. Together, they strengthen the focus on keeping children safely within their families and kinship networks wherever possible; offering Family Group Decision Making before care proceedings; improving information sharing; expanding the role of education and childcare within safeguarding arrangements; establishing Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams; and creating a more integrated, accountable and learning-led system. Hillingdon has already anticipated and aligned with this direction through locality- based Family Help teams, the continued development of the Stronger Families Multi- Agency Hub as an integrated front door, Stronger Together and Family Group Decision Making, Family Network Support Packages, the developing Multi -Agency Child Protection Team and Lead Child Protection Practitioner arrangements , and a stronger focus on family voice, advocacy, partner collaboration, STARS practice and quality assurance. This strategy brings those developments together within one partnership framework, with shared outcomes, clearer accountability and a commitment to ensuring children and families experience coordinated support rather than separate services. 9 1.3 Building on our first year of Family Help This strategy does not start from a blank page. Hillingdon's locality-based Family Help service has been operating since August 2025. From the outset, implementation was guided by a clear framework: • the national Families First Partnership Programme Guide (2025) and its delivery expectations, and Hillingdon's Families First delivery plan agreed with our safeguarding partners and submitted to the Department for Education in 2025; • Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Children's Social Care National Framework; • the principles of our Stronger Families Strategy 2021–2025: help from the right person at the right time, Think Family, and trauma-informed practice; • our shared practice model (STARS) and the practice standards behind our children's services, judged Outstanding by Ofsted in October 2023. Decisions on the design and pace of implementation were made through the Executive Transformation Group, which brings together our statutory safeguarding partners each month and is accountable to the Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership. Progress has been tracked from the start through the Department for Education's quarterly Families First data returns, our performance dashboards, case audits, and feedback from families, practitioners and partners. Our approach was to test and learn: launch the service, learn from its first months, and then set the partnership's longer -term direction on the basis of that evidence. From May 2026 the Family Help Delivery Group brought together partners from health, education, the police, housing, the voluntary and community sector and our participation service to co -produce this strategy. They worked through a stakeholder event, workshops in July and September 2026, the Families First parents group, and written feedback from partners. We are committed to putting children, young people and families at the heart of Family Help, ensuring their voices actively shape how services are designed, commissioned, delivered and reviewed. Through regular consultation, our Families First parents group and young people's participation groups, and by developing parent and young person representation within our Family Help governance, we will work in genuine partnership to continually improve support and outcomes for families across Hillingdon. 1.4 What the first year has taught us • Families are experiencing more coordinated support, with fewer changes of worker and less need to repeat their story. Early evidence is encouraging: in 2025/26, 66% of the 882 Family Help plans closed through our Family Hubs and Children's Centres achieved their intended outcomes, and case audits found most practice to be good or outstanding. • Joint working with education, health, housing and community organisations has become stronger, and new pathways have reduced duplication. • Better use of data has improved our oversight of demand and performance. 10 • Some families still find support hard to navigate. Long waits for specialist services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and neurodevelopmental assessment leave gaps that partners need to fill together. • Culture change is the biggest challenge. We are moving from Children's Services as the default lead to shared leadership, where health, education or another partner may be best placed to lead. This strategy therefore does two things. It sets out in one place the framework that has guided Family Help so far, and it sets the partnership's direction to 2031, including what each partner will do differently (Chapter 7) and how we will know it is work ing (Chapter 6). It replaces the Stronger Families Strategy 2021–2025. 1.5 Parental involvement and engagement Children, young people, parents and carers are central to the success of Family Help. Their experiences, feedback and involvement help shape both the support provided to individual families and the ongoing development of services across the partnership. Families are experts in their own lives. Children, young people, parents and carers will be actively involved in decisions, w