Children's Social Care Framework (2026)

The new Children’s Social Care National Framework 2026 sets out a clear national vision for how children, young people and families should be supported by children’s social care services in England. Published by the Department for Education, it provides a shared set of outcomes, principles and expectations for local authorities, safeguarding partners and agencies working with children and families. [

The framework aims to ensure that children receive the right help at the right time, are protected from harm, and can grow up safely within their families wherever possible. It places a strong emphasis on early intervention, effective multi-agency working, listening to the voices of children and families, and providing support that is rooted in strong relationships and evidence-based practice.

For safeguarding partners, the framework reinforces the importance of shared responsibility for improving outcomes for children, strengthening collaboration across agencies, and ensuring that services work together to identify need, reduce risk and support families effectively.

The framework forms a key part of the Government’s wider programme of children’s social care reform, which seeks to help more children remain safely with their families, improve support for kinship and foster care, and deliver better experiences and outcomes for children and young people.

The framework establishes four overarching outcomes that local authorities must strive to achieve:

• Help and stability: Children, young people, and families stay together and get the help they need.
• Family-centric support: Children and young people are supported by their wider family networks.
• Safety: Children and young people are safe in and outside of their homes.
• Permanence: Children in care and care leavers have stable, loving homes.

To achieve these, local authorities and safeguarding partners are expected to empower their workforces, make evidence-based decisions, and actively engage children and families to hear their wishes and feelings.