Nimal Jude, Head of Practice Development at Foundations, reflects on why Foundations new Evidence into Practice call is an opportunity for genuine change.

We are on the cusp of major transformation in children’s services. National reform across ‘Best Start Family Hubs’, Family Help and Children’s Social Care is happening, backed up by significant Spending Review funding. What’s that phrase — stand still long enough and everything comes back around? But service delivery never really stands still. We’re always searching for better, purposeful and more efficient ways to support families – at the right time, in the right way. These are our values in social work.

But still, there may be sceptical or weary voices out there. Haven’t we been here before? In the early days of my social work career, I helped set up one of the first Youth Offending Teams (as they were called then). Then, 25 years ago, it felt pioneering to have multi-agency partners under one roof, working together with families as a team. Over the years, I continued to work in environments that combined multi-disciplinary approaches and use of globally recognised interventions.

So, what feels different now? For me, the difference is that evidence-based practice and programmes are deeply embedded in the latest wave of reform, and there is now recognition that, in Isabelle Trowler’s words, “evidence use is the new cutting edge of innovation in children’s social care”. I genuinely believe the opportunity in front of us is greater than it’s ever been.

That’s why I’m pleased to be leading the team delivering Foundations’ new Evidence into Practice Programme. This isn’t just a funding call, it’s a chance to work with local areas to build a new culture of evidence use in services for families and children; not to simply deliver another programme.

At the heart of our Evidence into Practice offer is support of up to £100k for each of the nine Partner Places – one in each region of England – to implement approaches and interventions from the Foundations Toolkit that we know make a genuine difference to the lives of children and families. Partner Places will use funding to recruit a dedicated Local Evidence Lead, ensuring dedicated local capacity for evidence-based decision making. As the Families First Partnership Programme guidance states, robust evidence is the most reliable way to make a positive difference to outcomes for the children we work with. I still remember a probation officer delivering a training session when I worked in youth justice early on, and describing evidence-based practice as “that which produces the intended results.” It sounds simple but it’s easy to forget that this is what evidence use is all about – getting better results for children and families.

Throughout my career, whether implementing Referral Orders, piloting ASYE, setting up Regional Teaching Partnerships or communities of practice, I’ve always been drawn to building networks and bringing people together both locally and nationally. That drive is rooted in a belief that collaboration and evidence make better services for children and families.

We bring these values to Evidence into Practice. Together, we want to learn more about how to connect evidence with direct practice; how to design and adapt services through an evidence-based lens; and how to make evidence use meaningful and sustainable. It’s crucial to choose the right interventions for local needs, and we’re here to help local authorities identify the approaches that best fit their local area.

Turning evidence into practice takes more than good intentions – it needs vision, commitment, and partnership. Local authorities bring deep knowledge of their communities, systems and pressures. Foundations brings evidence, support and resources, and a commitment to sharing practical insights between local authorities.

Together, we’ll use the best evidence in the best way to support families and build change that lasts. Are you in? Let’s make it happen, together.

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Find out more about our Evidence into Practice funding call for local authorities here.