Families First Partnership Programme

Is education a partner in your local Families First reforms?

The Department for Education's Families First Partnership reforms are changing how local authorities, education settings and wider children's services work together to support children and families.

Successful implementation requires education to be an active partner in developing local arrangements, from early identification and Family Help to safeguarding, multi-agency working and support for families.

Elmway Education brings direct experience of leading education integration within the Families First Partnership Programme, alongside extensive experience of local-authority education leadership and system improvement.

Supporting Local Authorities

Elmway can provide strategic leadership and practical support to help local authorities:

• Strengthen education's involvement in Families First implementation and local partnership arrangements.

• Engage schools, academies and Multi-Academy Trusts in reform planning and delivery.

• Clarify education's contribution to Family Help, safeguarding and multi-agency pathways.

• Develop effective working relationships between education, children's social care and wider partners.

• Identify implementation challenges, gaps and opportunities for improvement.

• Access additional leadership and programme capacity to maintain progress.

Whether you need independent strategic advice, focused implementation support or experienced additional capacity, Elmway can provide a tailored approach to your local priorities.

Supporting Multi-Academy Trusts

Is your Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) considering what the DfE's Families First Partnership reforms mean for your schools?

For trusts operating across several local authorities, understanding how Families First is being implemented in each area can be particularly challenging.

Although the reforms are national, local arrangements and approaches may differ. This can create complexities for trusts seeking consistent safeguarding, family support and partnership arrangements across their schools.

Elmway Education can help MATs:

• Understand how Families First reforms are being implemented across their local authority areas.

• Map differences in Family Help, safeguarding and partnership pathways.

• Identify implications for trust-wide policies and procedures.

• Strengthen engagement with local authorities and safeguarding partners.

• Develop a coherent approach that supports trust-wide consistency while recognising local arrangements.

Our consultancy combines practical experience of Families First implementation with a strong understanding of education leadership, local government and multi-agency working.

Discuss Families First Support with Elmway Education

National SEND Reform

Strategic Leadership, Local SEND Reform Plans and Implementation Support

Is your local authority preparing for the next stages of national SEND reform?

The Department for Education's SEND reform programme is driving significant changes across education, health and care, with an increasing emphasis on inclusion, earlier intervention, stronger partnership working and sustainable local provision.

For local authorities, these developments must be considered alongside existing statutory responsibilities, high-needs financial pressures, local improvement priorities and the need to maintain effective services for children and families.

Elmway Education provides experienced, system-level consultancy and strategic leadership to help local authorities prepare for and respond to national SEND reforms.

How Elmway Can Help

Support can include:

• Local SEND Reform Plans: Supporting the development, review and implementation of local reform priorities and delivery arrangements.

• Strategic SEND leadership: Providing experienced advice, direction and additional capacity to support complex reform programmes.

• System readiness and improvement: Reviewing existing arrangements, identifying risks and gaps, and establishing priorities for change.

• Partnership development: Strengthening strategic working relationships across local authorities, education, health and children's services.

• High-needs pressures: Supporting strategic consideration of SEND reform alongside financial sustainability, local sufficiency and existing improvement programmes.

• Implementation support: Translating national policy developments into practical local actions, governance arrangements and delivery priorities.

Our work recognises that national SEND reform is evolving, and that local areas need to balance preparation for future changes with the effective delivery of their current responsibilities.

Experience Grounded in Local Government

Elmway's SEND expertise is rooted in local-authority leadership, strategic SEND improvement and system-level reform.

We understand the challenges of delivering change within complex local government structures, where competing demands, financial pressures and statutory responsibilities must be carefully balanced.

Our approach combines strategic thinking with practical implementation, constructive challenge and a clear focus on improving outcomes for children and young people.

Discuss SEND Reform Support with Elmway Education

Turning Reform into Practical Change

Strategic Advice. Experienced Leadership. Practical Implementation.

Organisations rarely need another report that simply describes what needs to change. They need clear direction, credible leadership and the capacity to make change happen.

Elmway Education offers flexible consultancy support shaped around the scale and complexity of each assignment.

This may include:

• Strategic consultancy and independent advice.

• Interim or additional senior education leadership capacity.

• Reform readiness reviews and implementation planning.

• Programme leadership and targeted project commissions.

• Partnership engagement, facilitation and constructive challenge.

• Support to translate national policy into local strategies, processes and practice.

We work alongside existing leadership teams and partners, bringing experience, objectivity and practical support where it is most needed.

Let's Discuss Your Reform Priorities

Whether your local authority needs additional capacity to lead SEND transformation, your Multi-Academy Trust is navigating Families First arrangements, or your organisation needs experienced support to implement complex change, Elmway Education can help.

Contact us to discuss your priorities and explore how we can support your organisation.