Vision
Vulnerable children have the foundational relationships they need to thrive in life
Mission
Generating and championing actionable evidence that improves services to support family relationships
Why foundational relationships matter
Every child needs strong, stable relationships to thrive – but for many vulnerable children, those relationships are under pressure.
Foundations focuses on the family-level risks that most affect children’s safety and wellbeing: challenges such as abuse, neglect, parental conflict, parental mental ill health, parental substance misuse or domestic abuse.
Evidence shows that helping parents and carers provide warm, confident and consistent care – supported by wider family and community networks – is one of the most effective ways to improve children’s outcomes. When families receive the right help early, problems are less likely to escalate, and children are more likely to remain safely at home.
We want every child to grow up safely and happily at home, with the support they need to reach their potential. And for those who can’t, we advocate for the stable, enduring relationships they deserve.
By building and applying evidence on how to strengthen families and support relationships, we help local and national services make decisions that give every child the best chance to grow up safely, happily and with lasting connections.
Children who need targeted family support to address family-level risks
We want children and families facing risks such as parental conflict, mental ill-health, substance misuse or domestic abuse to get help early.
Children experiencing Harm and Abuse in their home
We want fewer children to reach the point of statutory intervention, and for those who do, to receive evidence-based support that keeps them safe and strengthens family relationships where possible.
Children in Care and Care Leavers
We want fewer children to enter care, and for those who do, to receive evidence-based support that helps them remain connected to their family network and sustain loving, stable relationships into adulthood.
Children and young people are supported by their family to develop and thrive
Children and young people are safe in their homes
Children, young people and families staying together as much as is safely possible
Children in care and care leavers have stable, loving relationships
Supporting parenting
Domestic abuse
Strengthening family networks
Relationships for care experienced children
We generate and champion high-quality, actionable evidence about what works
We influence policy and practice to use evidence to drive better decision making
We work to increase demand for evidence about what works to improve family relationships
We actively pursue a preventative and early intervention approach in our work
We use robust and transparent evidence standards to generate and champion rigorous evidence
We seek change so that children and families have more power in how services work
We ensure our work actively promotes equality, diversity, inclusion, and equity
We work with partners to enact change
From our 2023 strategy Launch
Below you can revisit the video and publication from our 2023 strategy launch, featuring our Chief Executive, Dr Jo Casebourne, and our previous Executive Chair, Josh MacAlister.
Building the Foundations
Featured Publications
A selection of key publications, research and reports
In 2024, Foundations launched REACH (Researching Effective Approaches for Children), an ambitious five-year plan to f...
Experts by Experience Panel
Bringing together young people, and parents and carers from across England, our Experts by Experience Panel plays a central role in shaping Foundations' direction and decision making.
Being a What Works Centre
We are a national What Works Centre turning high-quality evidence into better decisions and better outcomes for children and families.