These protocols summarise plans for an evaluation of the Family Safeguarding Model conducted by Verian.
The Family Safeguarding Model is an integrated model of practice within children’s services in local authorities which aims to reduce the need for children to enter care or be placed on Child Protection Plans by tackling the root causes of child welfare concerns.
The evaluation aims build on existing evaluation evidence on Family Safeguarding by conducting an evaluation across a larger sample of local authorities using a quasi-experimental design (QED) impact evaluation, an implementation and process evaluation, and a cost evaluation.
The UK Government Evaluation Accelerator Fund (Phase 4, 2025-26) and Department for Education funded this work.
Developed by The Centre for Family Safeguarding Practice in Hertfordshire in 2015, the Family Safeguarding Model is an integrated model within local authorities that aims to keep children safe at home with their families and reduce the need for children to enter care or be placed on Child Protection Plans. Family Safeguarding is delivered by a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and co-located team that brings together Children’s Social Care and adult specialist workers. It is designed to work with the whole family, encompassing five core components: multi-disciplinary teams, Family Safeguarding supervision, Motivational Interviewing, Family Safeguarding workbook and the Family Safeguarding Programme.
The target group of the Family Safeguarding Model is families with children aged from pre-birth to 17 who are likely to suffer significant harm or significant impairment due to parental factors such as substance misuse, mental health issues, and domestic abuse.
Several previous evaluations of Family Safeguarding have involved either a single local authority or a small sample of LAs. This evaluation aims to build on existing evaluation evidence on Family Safeguarding. Conducting an evaluation across a larger sample of local authorities is intended to significantly strengthen the evidence base for the approach.
We have commissioned Verian to conduct an evaluation of the model, consisting of a quasi-experimental design evaluation to explore of the effects of Family Safeguarding on improving children’s social care outcomes, an implementation and process evaluation, and a cost evaluation.
The findings from this evaluation will support Foundations, The Centre for Family Safeguarding Practice, the Evaluation Task, the Department for Education, and other stakeholders in making informed, evidence-based decisions about the future development, costing, funding, implementation, and evaluation of the model.
Consistent with the aim of the Family Safeguarding Model to keep more children safely in their families in line with the vision of the Children Act 1989 and Working Together 2023, the primary evaluation question for the impact evaluation is:
Secondary research questions align with those used in previous evaluations of the Family Safeguarding Model, which include:
As part of the evaluation, Verian will also conduct:
An implementation and process evaluation (IPE) which will complement the impact evaluation by providing contextual evidence on how the model was delivered, how implementation varied across local authorities, the key facilitators and barriers to implementing Family Safeguarding, and how the model differs from business‑as‑usual practice.
A cost evaluation to determine the cost of delivering Family Safeguarding and the extent to which the estimated impacts of the model imply cost savings for local authorities and partner organisations.
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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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.
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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