25 March 2026

Approach Social Work as a foundation for reform

How partnering with Approach Social Work helped Wirral implement the children’s social care reforms.

As the children’s social care reforms take shape across England, local authorities are reshaping their services to better support children at risk of harm. In Wirral, experience suggests that working with Approach Social Work can provide continuity and stability during a period of significant change.

For the last six years, Wirral has partnered with Approach Social Work (formerly known as the Frontline programme). Wirral was selected as a pathfinder area to test the national children’s social care reforms ahead of wider roll out. During this period, Wirral had two hubs – teams of trainee social workers in their first year of Approach Social Work – each overseen by a consultant social worker.

Implementing the reforms required changes across Wirral children’s services, including new team structures, the introduction of multi-agency child protection arrangements and the development of family help teams that bring together early help and child in need work. Alongside this, Wirral has strengthened its focus on family networks and family decision making as part of its practice with children.

And these reform changes have demonstrated just how stable Approach Social Work can be for participants’ learning and development, even as services change around them.

A shared foundation

For those leading the work in Wirral, this has not come as a surprise. Luce Clarke, operational lead for the children with disabilities team and projects, reflected on the close alignment between the principles underpinning Approach Social Work and the direction set out by national reforms.

“The key principles are exactly the same. Family networks, systemic and relational practice – that’s already how Approach works”

Adam Smith, operational lead for The Families First for Children Pathfinder in Wirral, echoed this view and added: “rather than asking how we fit Frontline’s programme into the reforms, Approach influenced the way we have implemented the reforms.”

This shared foundation allows Approach Social Work’s trainee social workers to integrate within the evolved services and enables learning to flow both ways. Rather than being shielded from change, participants were supported to engage with new ways of working alongside the wider service.

Learning together

Laura Peters, in her second year as consultant social worker for one of the hubs, described how this worked in practice: “We have been invited to sit alongside the teams in the family hubs and spend time shadowing the new way of working. Additionally, we have been invited to support the family hubs, with their multidisciplinary team meetings utilising Approach hub meeting structure, so there is reciprocal learning for the students, the social workers and the family lead practitioners.”

In Wirral, Approach Social Work hubs come under the same leadership as the FFC Pathfinder Reforms and work closely with the family hubs. This proximity has supported stronger integration within the wider service and, Laura anticipates, will lead to a smoother transition for participants completing year one, at which point they qualify as social workers.

Year two participants experienced the changes more acutely, particularly as this cohort entered their second year amid a wider organisational restructure. This created uncertainty across the whole workforce, at a pivotal time for the participants. “It’s the year twos who notice more change,” Laura explained, “but even then, the reflective spaces and support remain.” In year two, participants continue to receive support and guidance through Approach Social Work, designed to ease their transition into their assessed and supported year in employment – in Wirral, this support also helped them adjust to the organisational changes.

Overall, Wirral’s experience shows that when Approach Social Work is embedded within children’s services, it offers a stable foundation for trainee social workers. The programme is closely aligned with the principles of the reforms, integrating seamlessly. And additional support for year two participants helps them to navigate a changing system with confidence, while continuing to develop their practice.