More families are grappling with poverty, having to choose between food or heating and trying to make ends meet. Many are struggling with mental health challenges and addiction. Domestic violence has surged since the start of the pandemic, significantly impacting children.

Many children endure experiences they shouldn’t, not only at home but also outside– where they are vulnerable to things such as county lines and exploitation. To create significant and lasting change, we also need to widen our approach to other professionals working with these children – such as early help and youth workers.

Child protection social work is a tough job. It demands a complex set of skills and resilience to support children and families facing difficult challenges.

A father’s perspective: a social workers support

When Joel and Jane welcomed their first child, they should have been enjoying one of the happiest moments of their lives. Instead, they found themselves in crisis. Jane was hospitalised shortly after giving birth due to serious health complications and Joel—suddenly a new father and facing the shock of his partner’s condition – felt completley overwhelmed.

Leela, an Approach participant, supported the family through this difficult time – helping Joel stay connected to his child by arranging family time. She built trust, remained non-judgemental, and reminded them they could still be present as parents.

Thanks to Leela’s consistent support and Jane’s eventual recovery, their child was safely reunited with them.

Leela’s empathy was unwavering and her professionalism was evident in every interaction. There was never a moment where they felt judged. She wasn’t just a social worker, but she became a part of ourfamily’s journey. Without her our journey would have taken a very different path.”

Read Joel and Jane's full story

Thanks to the invaluable support and feedback from our local authority partners nationwide, we’ve dedicated a decade to perfecting the training and development we give social workers on the Approach Social Work .This programme, funded by the Department for Education, is designed to equip individuals with a distinct combination of skills and knowledge to transform them into social workers who can bring about real change.

Approach Social Work is just the first step in our participants’ journey. Through the Frontline Fellowship, our community of professionals who complete one of our programmes, we provide training and support to continue to develop their growing knowledge, practice and career opportunities. Our support spans from expert training in social work to peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and a wide range of events. These opportunities enable our fellows to enhance their social work practice, leadership and innovation skills.

Great leaders foster innovation and encourage fresh ways of doing things that can improve processes. While innovation is often linked with technology and products, we believe it is crucial for social workers to encourage change to achieve the best outcomes for children.

We also believe that professionals who work closely with children are uniquely placed to identify ways to overcome the daily challenges they encounter, which can hinder their ability to provide the best support.

However, they often lack the time, confidence and innovation expertise to turn their insights into practical solutions.

This is why we introduced our Innovation programme to give professionals who work with children at risk of harm, expertise, guidance and skills to transform their ideas into tangible solutions to improve outcomes for children. Here are three initiatives from our programme already making a real impact.

In total, 63 social workers have learned how to develop innovations over the last three years, with nine innovations receiving funding to be piloted in various locations across the country. Interactive life story cards, Impakt and Conscious policy group are three projects that will be piloted in the coming year.

Over the next three years, we are looking to focus on three key areas that will lead to positive change for children and their families.

1. Practice, leadership and innovation in children’s services

We will continue to develop the practice, leadership and innovation skills of social workers and other professionals in children’s services. Using our sector knowledge and experience, we will explore new approaches, such as expanding our leadership programmes, investing more in innovative ideas and developing new technology to help social workers do their best work.

2. New ways to bring about systems change

As a national charity with excellent relationships across children’s services and government, we are well positioned to influence culture and policy at the local and national level. By mobilising our thousands of fellows and growing our direct work with young people with lived experience, we can ensure the voices of these social workers and young people are able to shape decision-making and raise the positive profile of social work in the process.

3. Expanding support beyond social work

To create true system change, we need to widen our approach to include all professionals working with children. Over the next three years and beyond, we will expand our scope and explore new opportunities to improve the experience for children by developing the practice, leadership and innovation of those working across the public and third sectors.