8th January 2025
Dr Jo Casebourne, Chief Executive of Foundations, responds to the Second Reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill:
“We welcome the Government’s focus on prioritising the wellbeing of vulnerable children inside and outside the home, particularly the shift from crisis intervention to prevention.
“The Bill takes an important step in embedding robust, evidence-based approaches in children’s social care, by requiring local authorities to offer family meetings where children are at risk of entering care. The move to mandate Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) is backed by Foundations’ evidence on the effectiveness of Family Group Conferences (FGCs), a proven model of FGDM.
“But to truly deliver for children, the Government must go further in the forthcoming Spending Review. Expanding evidence-based services, especially those that support parenting, which we know can improve child outcomes, are critical to ensure that children stay safe, achieve and thrive.”
For further information, please contact Charlotte Kelsted, Senior Press Officer: 07773 647 480 / charlotte.kelsted@foundations.org.uk
