Dudley Council has launched a new family safeguarding model designed to make it easier for parents to access support.

More than 200 safeguarding professionals attended the launch of the new strategy at the Copthorne Hotel in Brierley Hill on Monday 13 November.

The model is a multi-agency approach to child protection and is all about working in partnership to keep families together.

Rather than professionals working in silos, the model creates one team made up of social workers, mental health workers, substance and domestic abuse workers, family support workers, and a whole host of other professionals.

Creating a one team approach removes the referral pathways, which will speed up progress and reduce opportunities for children and families to slip though the net.

The model’s whole family approach will make it easier for parents to access all the help they need from one team.

This includes support with complex issues such as domestic abuse, mental health problems, or drug and alcohol abuse, which harms both parents and the lives of their children. Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children and young people said:

“The family safeguarding model is a way of keeping families together where it is safe to do so.

”When agencies work together to provide support, parents are motivated to identify the changes needed within their own families and take charge of their futures for the benefit of their children.

“We are the 19th council to adopt this model in the country and we recognise the importance of agencies working together and putting children at the centre of everything we do.

“This model should help us achieve better outcomes for our children.”

More information on family safeguarding in Dudley borough is available on the Dudley Council website.