A new Government policy on social services for vulnerable children will emphasise the importance of professionals working in partnership with the families and communities of young people.
The Agenda for Children's Services, to be published by the Minister of State for Children Brendan Smith, will acknowledge that the benefit of services in areas such as child protection and out-of-home care may have been undermined in the past by isolating young people from their families.
However, the new policy will say that better outcomes can be achieved if professionals recognise the support children receive from their family and other networks of support in the community.
"Effective protection of children and young people at risk or in crisis, as well as the promotion of children's well-being, requires working in partnership with families. Retaining the trust of families is the key," the policy document states.
It also states that a child's wider family provides a valuable source of support which can be overlooked by social workers and other professionals.
"Help from these networks [ beyond the immediate family] can be available on a 24-hour basis in a less stigmatising fashion and can be very cost-effective. They operate in the immediate world of the children and young people," it says.
"They should always be considered by professionals and services as a major resource for assessment and interventions. This applies in every situation of child health and welfare service provision - whether the aim is prevention, early intervention, community services, hospital services, child protection or out- of-home care."
It is one of a number of public policy goals set out in the document, which will have implications for the way in which services such as child protection are delivered.
The policy is aimed primarily at helping policymakers, Health Service Executive senior managers, front-line managers and practitioners in engaging with children and families. The document will also be provided to thousands of social workers who provide support to children and their families.
Overall, it aims to ensure that services are "evidence-based, accessible, effective and sustainable". It also includes reflective questions aimed at helping professionals ensure their work is delivering the best possible outcome for children and their families.
Much of the policy picks up on recommendations by the NESF, the National Economic and Social Forum, which issued a report setting out practical measures which could help improve the delivery of public services.
It said a major issue was how to deliver services responding to individual needs.
