Improving Children's Services
Improving children’s services is a core priority for the council. We must do more to support children, young people and families, particularly those with complex needs, and ensure they receive the right help at the right time.
With strong investment, renewed energy and a clear sense of purpose across our services, we are re‑imagining how we support children and families in Cheshire East. Our focus is on strengthening practice, improving outcomes and building services that are relational, resilient and sustainable.
Thriving families
We are ambitious for our children and committed to delivering high‑quality care and support that helps families thrive. This means improving how services are designed and delivered, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring decisions are informed by evidence, learning and the voices of children and families.
Leadership
At the heart of our improvement journey is strong, visible leadership at every level of the organisation. We are building a service where people feel supported, empowered and clear about the role they play in improving outcomes for children and families.
This is an important moment for children’s services in Cheshire East. We are moving towards a more confident, consistent and relational way of working, with a shared focus on high‑quality practice, learning and continuous improvement. Together, we are shaping the next chapter for children, young people and families - creating services that are ambitious, supportive and built to last.
Children’s services savings (£4.40m total)
The overall focus for these savings is on keeping children safe, supporting families earlier, maintaining children closer to home, and reducing reliance on high‑cost external care placements, alongside more efficient ways of working.
Programmes, projects and activities under this priority
Children's services improvement
The updated Children’s Services Improvement Plan will bring together all improvement and transformation work, including delivery of the Families First programme.
It includes:
- A Local Area SEND Reform Plan will be approved which will bring together SEND reform implementation alongside improvement to SEND services.
- The Shared Journeys strategy is informed by this and will align with the SEND sufficiency strategy and the Dedicated Schools Grant Management Plan, and will depend on the outcomes of the SEND inspection and the Government’s education and SEND reforms. The delivery of this starts in 2026/27.
- Digitisation (£0.25m) of processes within children’s services to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and support more timely decision‑making, contributing to modest but sustainable savings.
Right Child, Right Home (RCRH)
The Right Child, Right Home programme focuses on:
- RCRH : Edge of Care (£1.68m)
Implementation of evidence-based family support interventions – Multisystemic therapy and Functional Family therapy for families at risk of breakdown, helping to prevent children entering care and reducing demand for residential and acute interventions.
- RCRH : New Accommodation with Support for 16–25‑year‑olds (£1.50m)
Development of new supported accommodation options to improve transitions to independence for young people, reducing the need for costly placements and improving long‑term outcomes.
- RCRH : National House Project (£0.38m)
Provision of stable, long‑term homes for care‑experienced young people with higher needs, offering a sustainable alternative to repeated placement moves.