Waltham Forest Council is set to overhaul its family support services by establishing an open procurement framework, aiming to enhance quality, oversight, and cost-effectiveness. The new framework aims to provide better oversight of the quality of family support, encourage competition on price, standardise delivery, safeguarding, and quality requirements, and improve data and analytics to track outcomes for vulnerable children and families. The previous spot purchased system was associated with reduced financial value and quality assurance.

The decision, made at the Executive Decision meeting on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, will see the council commission family support hours through a compliant framework approach. This move replaces the current spot purchased system, where services are acquired on an ad-hoc basis. The council's responsibilities are outlined in Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, which mandates safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in need.

Family Support Workers provide support and interventions to children and families in their own homes or other designated settings. They help build relationships, increase wellbeing, improve outcomes, provide practical help and deliver interventions to increase parenting skills and more generally bridge the gap of support between families and statutory services. Family support hours are also used for more light-touch support, such as taking children to school, conducting welfare checks, providing support during assessments and applications for services, or supporting custody visits.

Councillor Kizzy Gardiner, Portfolio Lead Member for Children and Young People, approved the proposal, which seeks to improve the quality of family support and encourage competitive pricing from external providers. The framework agreement is scheduled to run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2030.

The council considered several alternatives, including continuing the spot purchasing system, establishing an in-house service, and creating a volunteer service. The report pack, available on the council's Democracy website, details the reasons for rejecting these options. The open procurement process was deemed the most advantageous, promising better value for money, standardised service delivery, and improved data analytics.

The framework will be funded from the existing Childrens Social Care Section 17 budget, with a contract cap set at £1,000,000 per annum, totaling £4,000,000. To ensure value for money, providers will be evaluated on 50% quality and 50% price. Service quality would be improved through selecting providers who meet high quality standards and through ongoing contract management and quality monitoring.

The move aligns with Mission Waltham Forest, specifically:

  • Mission 1: Ensure every family and every child are given every opportunity
  • Mission 10: A firm financial footing

Potential risks, such as existing providers choosing not to participate, will be mitigated through a market warming exercise to gather feedback. The council also plans to streamline reporting requirements using a single template to address the risk of a lack of capacity within LBWF to provide effective contract management/management of the Framework. Consultation was not required as there is no anticipated change to service delivery or eligibility. The council plans to streamline reporting requirements using a single template to address the risk of a lack of capacity within LBWF to provide effective contract management/management of the Framework.