Children’s experience of a new approach to family safeguarding in Oxfordshire Children’s social care services

The Family Solutions Plus (FSP) model introduced in November 2020 in Oxfordshire aims to improve outcomes for children and families involved with children’s social services. This study draws on retrospective interviews with 19 children engaged with the Oxfordshire Children’s Social Service (OCSS), to compare children’s experiences of social work engagement before and after the introduction of FSP model. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify overarching themes and subthemes. Results indicate clear differences in children’s experiences before and after FSP. Children were highly sensitive to the difference between social workers before and during FSP, they also found the workers under FSP to be more effective communicators, better listeners and kinder than before. Additionally, they valued social workers who communicate clearly with them about the nature of intervention, co-create plans with them and listen to their needs and opinions. Children also see a lot of benefit in having more support for their parents, which leads to improved outcomes for the whole family. However, we found implementation gaps wherein the FSP model was not implemented consistently by all social workers. Majority of the new models in childcare services evaluations rely on feedback from staff and parents and rarely consider children’s experiences. Thus, we find that children provide crucial insights into social services and can help improve service users’ experiences. In addition, when FSP is implemented well children can notice and appreciate the difference.