Local authorities should have a "fully operational" Family Group Decision Making service by March 2027, says DfE

In updated guidance on its Families First Partnership (FFP) programme reforms, the DfE set out delivery expectations for statutory safeguarding partners in England to implement reforms and increase support for family networks.

In November 2025, the Government announced it will provide over £2.4 billion for the FFP programme over the next three years.

The DfE said: “This investment supports the government’s continued commitment to reform local government funding and will ensure local authorities, with their partners, are able to fund preventative support and services including targeted early help, child in need and child protection activity.

“This will enable local authorities, with their partners, to rebalance spending away from accommodating children in care and increase spend on prevention.”

The Government warned that the grant conditions “clearly state” that funding for FFP is not designed to displace existing prevention spend, but is intended as additional investment into services.

“DfE will monitor completion of transformation activities, implementation of the policy expectations in this guide and use of FFP funding through quarterly programme data collections and structured engagement”, it added.

“Where areas do not demonstrate expected progress, the department will provide an enhanced level of support and challenge to enable effective implementation of reformed services and improved outcomes for children and families. Where local authorities are found not to be adhering to grant conditions, government will engage with local authorities to obtain assurance.”

The updated guidance noted that Family Help plans - designed to provide early, targeted intervention for families facing complex challenges - should be operational by March 2027 and:

• provide clear, measurable outcomes for the child or young person and set expectations for families, with reviewable actions to track progress;
• specify the agencies and practitioners involved, the services available, and how success will be measured. Regular reviews should assess whether progress has been made to meet the child or young person’s needs;
• where applicable, incorporate or align with child protection conferences, plans and outcomes, which should also adhere to the expectations above; and
• consider how family networks can be best supported to improve the child’s outcomes, including through financial support as part of Family Network Support Packages.

The DfE added that as part of their family help offer, local areas should also have in place an integrated front door where contacts and referrals can be triaged to the right level of service by March 2027.

The guidance stated that local areas should:

• consider the range of practitioners and agencies that could be brought into the integrated front door - this could include for example education, police, health, domestic abuse services, housing and youth workers; and
• ensure front door practitioners are experienced and skilled in triaging children to the right part of the system, including MACPTs where there are concerns about actual or likely significant harm, inside and outside the home and online.

The full guidance can be read here.

Lottie Winson