Welcome
Dear Partners,
Welcome to the September edition of Families First News for Hertfordshire's early help professionals and we hope you all managed to take a break over the glorious summer!
September has had a busy start and we already have a bumper edition of news to share with you. Firstly we would like to update you on the outcome of our recent ILACS inspection:-
Ofsted praises Hertfordshire's "relentless ambition" for children and families following its ILACS inspection
Following its latest inspection of Hertfordshire County Council's Children's Social Care Services, Ofsted has published its inspection report which praises the county council's "relentless ambition" to help children thrive and achieve their potential. The inspection report recognises sustained progress since Hertfordshire's previous ILACS inspection, in January 2023, and Ofsted inspectors found that children in the council’s care make very good progress, with most receiving the right support at the right time.
More information about the inspection findings can be found on the county council’s website and you can find the full inspection report on Ofsted’s website.
We also have an update on...
Implementing the national children's social care reforms: update for partners
Please take time to read the update for partners on how the national children's social care reforms are being implemented in Hertfordshire.
Also, please note the Families First Support Update:-
- The Supporting Families teams will continue to play a key role in supporting the essential work delivered by our partners. This will include ongoing support, guidance and training relating to Early Help Modules (EHM), as well as assistance with assessment, planning and review processes.
- Partners will continue to have access to consultation for escalating concerns, alongside support through the multi-agency panel process. Other established activities will remain in place, including Working Together events, Keeping in Touch (KIT) sessions, Early Help staff induction, Families First Partnership groups, and jointly delivered group programmes.
- In addition, both operational and strategic support for targeted early help and prevention activity will continue, ensuring families across Hertfordshire receive the right support at the right time through a coordinated partnership approach.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Families First News and please encourage your teams to sign up to receive their own copy! Also, don't forget to take a look through our Learning and Development articles to see what is available for you and your teams.
If you or a team member would like to learn more about Families First, you may want to attend one of our Families First online Induction days which are held quarterly across the county and are open to all professionals. Find out more here.
The Development Team
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