Working Together to Safeguard Children is the multi-agency statutory guidance that sets out expectations for the system that provides help, support and protection for children and their families. It applies at every level from senior leaders to those in direct practice with families, and across all agencies and organisations that come into contact with children. It gives practitioners clarity about what is required of them individually and how they need to work in partnership with each other to deliver effective services.
Updating Working Together now is central to delivering on the first phase of our ambitious plans to transform Children's Social Care, set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love. We want to see strengthened multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection for children and their families, a system re-balanced towards help at an early point, and strong, effective and consistent child protection practice.
Your views are important, and we want to hear them. They will make sure our changes do what children and their families need them to do. We encourage you to read the consultation document before responding to the corresponding questions in the survey.
The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published on GOV.UK in Autumn 2023.