Foundations – What Works Centre for Children & Families

WATCH ▶️ 👇 5 things local authority leaders should know about the findings of the #Changemakers evaluation. Find out more: foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

How can the #Changemakers programme help us make sure devolution translates into better outcomes for children & families? Read our CEO Jo Casebourne’s piece for the MJ on how evidence implementation can support local powers to improve children’s lives 👉 www.themj.co.uk/devolution-d...

NEW FINDINGS 🚨🙌 An evaluation 📊 by Cordis Bright found that #Changemakers strengthened implementation capability and evidence-informed practice in the four diverse Changemakers local authorities. Find out more: foundations.org.uk/our-work/pub...

Take a look inside our 2025–2026 Impact Report 👀 Our evaluation and practice activity takes place across all regions of England. Read the full report 🔗 foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

It’s official: we are the national What Works Centre for Children & Families for another 10 years! Read our 2025–2026 Impact Report, out today, to learn what we’ve achieved so far & what another decade of funding will allow us to deliver. Full report 🔗 foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Our Head of Practice Development Nimal Jude was on the #RelationalSocialWork podcast to talk about how ‘what works’ evidence underpins social work practice, leadership, and policy. Listen to the pod here 👇 www.therelationalsocialworkpodcast.com/listen-now

Come end October, we'll publish the findings of an evaluation of Changemakers. In anticipation, we're resharing a blog published in March reflecting on the promising interim evaluation findings: foundations.org.uk/learning-fro...

Did you know… ❔ The first Practice Guide we produced outlined key principles & recommendations for local leaders on supporting kinship carers. Listen to Senior Local Development Advisor Harpreet Ahdan as she revisits it 👇 #KinshipCareWeek foundations.org.uk/toolkit/prac...

Last week the Department for Education published an updated #KinshipCare statutory guidance for local authorities 🧭 We’re so pleased to see our work included as key resources for local areas as they look to implement the guidance. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Earlier this year we spoke to a member of our Experts by Experience panel who grew up in #KinshipCare. We asked how their experience shaped working with us, the importance of minoritised voices, & more 👉 foundations.org.uk/the-role-of-... #KinshipCareWeek

It’s #KinshipCareWeek! 🥳 Senior Policy Advisor Daisy Elliott talks about our recent work on #KinshipCare and why we’re doing it 👇 Find out more about our latest projects on kinship care: foundations.org.uk/advancing-th...

On Monday, we’re off to Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham #CPC26 Join us in the Youth Zone for our event with Youth Futures Foundation on what we know works to help children & young people build the foundations for success 🌟 🗓️ Monday 5 October 🕒9:45 – 10:45 📍Youth Zone

Our Deputy CEO Donna Molloy is at CYPNow's #EarlyHelp conference today talking about Foundations’ work and what we know improves children and families’ lives. Read Donna’s 8 key messages 👇

Good morning from #Lab26 👋 We're kicking off with our event at 9:45 this morning exploring how evidence can be used to drive meaningful and lasting change for children across the country. See you there! 💬 What Works, Where it Matters 📅 9:45 - 10:45, 28 Sept 📍 Theatre 2, Youth Zone

Join us at 9:45 on Monday to hear from Children's Minister @joshmacalistermp.bsky.social, Cllr Liz Parsons, @donnamolloy.bsky.social & Dr Jo Casebourne on what place-based policy means for children's social care 💬✨ #Lab26 Register now 👉 foundations.org.uk/news-and-eve...

This month, we’re heading to #Lab26 to host an event with Children’s Minister @joshmacalistermp.bsky.social & Cllr Liz Parsons, looking at how we can create evidence-driven change for children across the country 🌟 Register ➡️ tinyurl.com/4neh5y5s 🗓️ 28 September 🕒 9:45–10:45 📍 Theatre 2, Youth Zone

WEBINAR 👩‍💻 Join us for a webinar exploring the #Reunification Practice Guide + what local areas can do to strengthen assessment, planning, decision-making & support, before, during and after reunification👇🔗 📆 28 Sept 11:30 bit.ly/4ckofUH 📆 29 Sept 13:00 bit.ly/46H930p

It’s party conference season, and we’re looking forward to speaking to councillors and stakeholders from across the country about how our evidence can help to strengthen decision making on support for children & families 🤝 We kicked off at Reform UK Party Conference in Birmingham.

Our newsletter is out! 📨 Dive into Foundations' latest news, blogs, and think pieces in this end-of-summer reads edition. mailchi.mp/foundations....

NEW BLOG ✍️ What does a parent need when they are going through a process of reunification with their children? Jess (not her real name) writes about her experience & what she would like to tell social care leaders and parents in her situation. Read: foundations.org.uk/everyone-was...

WE'RE HIRING 💼 We're recruiting for two roles to help us generate evidence that can strengthen support for children and families. Senior Evaluation Officer ➡️ foundations.org.uk/about-us/who... Evidence and Evaluation Officer ➡️ foundations.org.uk/about-us/who... 🗓️ Close: 12pm, Monday 14 Sept

NEW BLOG ✍️ What can we learn from the Reflective Fostering Study, the largest impact evaluation of a parenting programme with kinship and foster carers conducted in the UK to date? Dr Karen Irvine (@herts.ac.uk) outlines its findings and what they mean for children & families. Read 👉 buff.ly/DGDPvdU

NEW BLOG ✍️ Nilushka Perera, Senior Race Equity Fellow, shares her reflections on how our anti-racism transformation plan is shaping our work programme & bringing us closer to better outcomes for racially minoritised children and families. Read now ➡️ foundations.org.uk/integrating-...

Curious about what we’ve been up to at Foundations? 💭 Sign up here and get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox: foundations.org.uk/newsletter/

Calling all senior local authority leaders & practice supervisors 📢 Help us ensure that our website, guidance & tools are as useful and accessible as possible by taking part in a 1.5-hour structured online focus group. Find out more: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/kkvTeFfNQk

Our newsletter is out! 📨 We take a deep dive into the Reunification Practice Guide, which we published earlier this month. Explore the Guide's contents and the resources supporting commissioning, design and delivery. Read our Reunification Practice Guide deep dive 👉 🧭 mailchi.mp/foundations....

Deadline extended 📣 🗓️ The deadline to apply for our domestic abuse workforce programmes evidence fund has been extended to 10am, Tuesday 22 September 2026. Find out more & apply ➡️ lnkd.in/escTRyzR

Our Deputy Director Donna Molloy will be speaking at CYPNow’s #EarlyHelp Conference in September 🗣️ She will talk about how evidence can support the local early help offer & what we are doing to close evidence gaps & turn evidence into practice. Find out more 👉 earlyhelpconference.com/LIVE/en/page...

About the call 🔎 Strengthening evaluation capacity of By and For Orgs. We want to support these orgs to strengthen evaluation practice, to help improve workforce responses to minoritised ethnic families affected by #DomesticAbuse Closes 🗓️ 12pm, 19 August 🔗 foundations.org.uk/opportunity/...

WATCH ▶️ 👇 Foundations’ Senior Development Adviser Harpreet Ahdan unpacks 5 ways the Reflective Tool can help local authorities action the evidence-based key principles and recommendations of the Reunification Practice Guide 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Check out the Reflective Tool 🔗 foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

We are working with @researchip.bsky.social to share available evidence and actionable recommendations on children’s social care & how to put them into practice, enabling uptake and use of evidence about what has been shown to improve outcomes for children. Read 👉 foundations.org.uk/foundations-...

Our Chief Exec, Jo Casebourne, joined partners for an important discussion with Health Minister @sharonhodgsonmp.bsky.social on children’s health and early intervention. Parenting support is one of the most powerful tools for helping children thrive – but we must ensure no families are left behind.

REFLECTIVE TOOL 🔎💭for actioning the #Reunification Practice Guide. The Tool can help translate the Guide’s evidence-based key principles & recommendations into safe & sustained reunification support that works in your local area 🔗 foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

SUMMARY FOR ELECTED & LEAD MEMBERS 📄🗣️ As well as summarising the #Reunification Practice Guide, this handy resource provides a set of key questions to Elected & Lead Members to help them better support the delivery of evidence-based reunification services: foundations.org.uk/wp-content/u...

🗨️ Hear from sector experts & contributors on why the #Reunification Practice Guide is such a valuable tool in helping senior local leaders & practitioners to plan and implement the most effective support for children & families going through reunification 👉 foundations.org.uk/press-releas...

REMINDER ⏰ Join us this Friday for the #FosterCare Practice webinar 📅 Find out how the Practice Guide can be used to strengthen support for foster carers in your local area. Book your spot here 🔗 events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d1e430...

What does a positive #reunification process look like? Writing in CYPNow, Foundations’ Senior Practice Development Adviser Harpreet Ahdan outlines 4 steps to ensure families receive the support they need before, during, and after reunification. 👉 www.cypnow.co.uk/content/in-d...

The #Reunification Practice Guide, published today, includes eight Key Principles on the approach local leaders & practitioners can take on reunification 🗝️ They are drawn from the experiences of parents, children, young people, and practitioners. Find out more: foundations.org.uk/toolkit/prac...

The #Reunification Practice Guide includes 4️⃣ evidence-based recommendations senior local leaders and practitioners can put into action to support & improve the lives of children returning home to their families after a period in care. Find out more: foundations.org.uk/toolkit/prac...

Reunification can be a pivotal transition for children, young people, and their families. NCB's systematic review of existing evidence and research has informed Foundations – What Works Centre for Children & Families's practice guide on reunification, published today: buff.ly/p6YsZiV

NEW 📢 #Reunification Practice Guide 📢 This Guide includes the best-available evidence on supporting children to return to their families and stay together, after a period in care, with actionable steps for senior local leaders & practitioners: foundations.org.uk/toolkit/prac...

How do families and practitioners feel about reunification? 💭 Throughout the Reunification Practice Guide, published tomorrow, you’ll be able to hear directly from children, families & practitioners who have experienced reunification first-hand, including how they felt & what helped them the most.

Policy shifts are putting #reunification on the agenda as an important option to be actively considered by local authorities for children & young people in care, and their families. Watch ▶️👇 to find out why the Reunification Practice Guide – out tomorrow – is a key resource for local areas

Policy shifts are putting #reunification on the agenda as an important option to be actively considered by local authorities for children & young people in care, and their families. Watch ▶️👇 to find out why the Reunification Practice Guide – out tomorrow – is a key resource for local areas.

This week, we are publishing a new Practice Guide on #reunification – the process through which a child or young person who has been in care is reunited with their parents. Watch this video to find out how Practice Guides help senior local leaders, and frontline practitioners 👇

NEW OPPORTUNITY 📢🌟 We’re looking for applications from researchers to work with us as a part of the @ukri.org What Works Innovation Fellowship, focused on tackling violence against women and girls. 🗓️Closes: 4pm, 8 September 2026 Apply now ➡️ foundations.org.uk/opportunity/...

REMINDER 🔔 FOSTER CARE WEBINAR 📅 Join us this Thursday to find out how the #FosterCare Practice Guide can be used to strengthen support for foster carers in your local area. Book your spot for Thursday 👉 🔗 events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3b3c41...

Our latest newsletter is out! 📨 This month, we talk about the importance of enduring relationships, our new Outcomes Framework & Measures Database, two opportunities to work with us, and two upcoming webinars! Read it here 👉 mailchi.mp/foundations....