Families First - Family Alliance
In March 2025, the Department for Education published guidance called ‘Families First Partnership’. This is a programme of work that has been signed up to by the Department for Education, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Home Office.
The aim of the programme reforms is to change how local areas deliver services to families and children, aiming to support more families at an earlier point.
In Derby, we are seeking to explore how we can strengthen our current arrangements to meet the minimum expectations of the reforms, based on how families living in the city currently feel and where they would seek support if they needed it.
The sort of issues families might need to seek support with could include:
Concerns on behaviour / behaviour management
Health matters (not including medical emergencies)
Mental health and wellbeing
Risky behaviours
Child development
Education
Relationships
Welfare (including your own wellbeing)
Financial management
We have been asking for the views of families in Derby to help shape the future of the Families First Programme, including via public survey that was open from November 2025 to February 2026. The survey aimed to understand if families would seek help, their preferred sources of support, experiences of previous support and asks for suggestions to improve access to services. We want to build on this, working alongside our Family Alliance, to gather more insights from our communities to shape how we move forward.
This survey can be completed on behalf of a community group to share their views, and/or the link can be shared with individuals by our Family Alliance colleagues. If you have any questions or need assistance, your community leader should be the first person you seek support from.
If you would like more information or would like an alternative version of the survey please contact: Sarah Walker on FamiliesFirstPartnershipProgramme@derby.gov.uk
The deadline for responses is 26th June