A North East council is celebrating success after winning a national award for its children’s services.
Durham County Council last night won the Children’s Services award at the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards, which celebrate excellence in local government.
The council was recognised for its Supporting Solution Service, which provides a phased approach to young people on the edge of care, with the aim of enabling them to stay with their families to avoid entering the care system.
It developed the service alongside children and families who had recently been on the edge of care or who had become looked after in order to better understand the needs of families in County Durham.
The phased approach provides intensive support to families who are experiencing family breakdown, including conflict resolution, mediation and support from within the extended family over a number of weeks.
Alongside tailored interventions which build on strengths within the family, long-term support is also provided to prevent them from reaching crisis point again.
Having launched the service in 2018, the council has supported more than 200 young people, with more than 90 per cent of those who were at home or living with extended family at the time of the interventions successfully remaining there.
Cllr Ted Henderson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “I would like to pass on huge congratulations to the team for such a fantastic achievement. There is huge competition at the LGC Awards so our success highlights just how important our work is for children, young people and families across County Durham.
