The Children and Families Service provides targeted specialist social care assessment and support services to children, young people and families living in Gateshead. To do this we rely on our staff team of over 400, including social workers, support workers, residential care officers, managers and administrative staff.

As an authority we demand the highest standards for all our children and young people. The latest Joint Area Review rated us amongst the best in the country for the quality and effectiveness of the services we provide with our partners. We are also at the forefront of new ways of working having been a pathfinder Children's Trust, a pilot site for the Early Support Programme and a trailblazer for Contactpoint.

We are one of only 11 successful authorities nationally who submitted successful bids for a "Virtual Headteacher" pilot for looked after children and we have also been successful in bidding for funding to devolve funds to practitioners working with looked after children and young people through the Budget Holding Lead Professional: Children in Care pilot.

The latest Joint Area Review of services for children and young people in Gateshead assessed social care services for children as “good” and highlighted that “…children and families have access to a good range of well co-ordinated and effective family support and preventative services” and that “overall performance in relation to assessment and care management is good” (August 2006).

Our vision for children and young people in Gateshead is for them to be:

“Empowered and supported to develop to their full potential and have the life skills and opportunities to play an active part in society.”

You can read more about our partnership strategy for achieving this vision in the Gateshead Children and Young People’s Plan 2006-9.