The government has announced an additional £18 million for councils in England to speed up reforms to children’s social care, focusing on earlier intervention to prevent families from reaching crisis point. The funding, part of the Plan for Change, will help strengthen local leadership and expand early support services. Measures include recruiting thousands more family help workers and introducing Family Group Decision Making across all councils—an approach that brings extended family members together to help children remain safely at home rather than entering care. The investment follows a doubling of family support funding this year to £523 million, with a further £300 million committed over the next two years.