Strategy 2023-2027 – Building the Foundations

Strengthening family or other close relationships for children is vital to give them the foundations they need to thrive in life. Our strategy explains how we will generate and champion actionable evidence to improve services for children and families.

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

Our guiding principles

  1. We will actively pursue a preventative and early intervention approach in our work
  2. We will use robust and transparent evidence standards to generate and champion rigorous evidence
  3. We will seek change so that children and families have more power in how services work
  4. We will ensure our work actively promotes equality, diversity, inclusion, and equity
  5. We will work with partners to enact change

Our priority areas

  1. Supporting parenting
  2. Strengthening family networks
  3. Domestic abuse
  4. Relationships for care experienced children

Our approach

  1. Generating and championing high-quality, actionable evidence about what works
  2. Influencing policy and practice to use evidence to drive better decision making
  3. Increasing demand for evidence about what works to improve family relationships

Better child outcomes through improved services

We have a clear approach – we will make a difference through: 

  1. Generate and champion high-quality, actionable evidence about what works 
  2. Influence local and national decision makers to use evidence to drive better decision making about services for families and children 
  3. Increase demand for evidence about what works to improve family relationships and highlight evidence gaps that need to be filled.

Our four priority areas were selected because:

  • tackling these issues could help overcome some of the biggest challenges facing children and families;
  • they are relevant to current policy priorities;
  • there is a need for further evidence either to be generated and/or consistently used in these areas; and
  • there is the best potential for achieving impact. 

We focus on achieving four child outcomes:

  1. That children are supported by their families to develop and thrive
  2. That they are safe at home
  3. That children, young people and their families stay together as much as is safely possible
  4. That children in care and care leavers have stable, loving relationships.

These outcomes are aligned with the National Framework for Children’s Social Care (NFCSC), because our work focuses on children who need targeted support to address family-level risks, children who experience harm or abuse in the home and children in care and care leavers.

Building the Foundations

Watch our video to find out more from our Chief Executive, Dr Jo Casebourne, and previous Executive Chair, Josh MacAlister. 

Strategy Documents

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Cost ratings:

Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.

Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.

Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.

Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.

Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.

Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.

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Child Outcomes:

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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Evidence ratings:

Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.

Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.

Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.

Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.

Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.

Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.

Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.

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