Foundations has today launched a major new funding call for local authorities to support evidence use in children’s services across Family Hubs, Family Help and Children’s Social Care.
Part of our new Evidence into Practice offer, our call gives nine local authorities – one in each region of England – the opportunity to work with us to embed evidence-led practice and implement evidence-based interventions that we know improve children’s outcomes.
The call comes at a crucial time, as the sector takes forward significant reforms across Children’s Services, backed by recent Spending Review investment in prevention, the Families First Partnership and the further roll out of Family Hubs.
The Department for Education has made clear in recent guidance that robust evidence is one of the most reliable ways to improve outcomes for children, and evidence use will increasingly become one of the key drivers of change in Children’s Services.
Evidence into Practice will give nine Partner Places the tools and support to help them combine what we know works with local data and the insight of professionals on the ground, to deliver real change to the lives of children and families.
Each of the awarded local authorities will receive £100,000 over 18 months to support implementation. This will fund:
- The appointment of a Local Evidence Lead who will drive and champion a culture of evidence use
- Delivery of evidence-based interventions drawn from Foundations Toolkit, which includes our Guidebook and Practice Guides (commissioned by the Department for Education and produced by Foundations).
The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 25 July 2025 at 12pm. Set-up of the programme will take place following award, between October 2025 and March 2027.
For more information about the call please click here.
Donna Molloy, Deputy Chief Executive of Foundations said:
“Putting evidence into practice is not easy. Despite the appetite among local authorities to use evidence to strengthen services, there is often a gap between what has been shown to be effective in improving child outcomes and what is available for children and families locally. We at Foundations know that if we want the best evidence to improve services, then we need to ensure Local Authorities can access support for evidence-based decision making and implementation. That is why we are investing nearly £ 1m on a major new programme of work to support Local Authorities and their partners to draw on evidence as they work to improve local services.”
Nimal Jude, Head of Practice Development at Foundations commented:
“We all want to see local services that make a lasting difference to children and families, and we know that using high-quality evidence is one of the most effective ways to do this. I know from my work with local authorities that they value the capacity to engage with evidence meaningfully. Evidence into Practice will give local leaders the funding, support and tools they need to embed evidence-led practice in their areas and deliver meaningful change for the children and families they work with.”
Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker, commented:
“Foundations Evidence into Practice funding call is a huge opportunity for local authorities to implement the best available evidence to improve local services, and the outcomes of children and families. The Children’s Social Care National Framework stresses that it is crucial local leaders are confident in using robust evidence to strengthen local practice. I’m clear that evidence use is the new cutting edge of innovation in children’s social care, and the support on offer from Foundations will help to embed a culture of evidence use in every region.”
