The Boards of the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) and What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) have begun conversations about a merger that would create a new ‘go-to’ what works centre on children and families covering both early intervention and children’s social care.  

Improving support for children and families requires a strong, authoritative what works centre able to support effective policy and practice across the whole system. This need is reflected in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, which has recommended that EIF and WWCSC join forces to create a new integrated what works centre.   

While no formal decision to merge has yet been taken, the Boards of both organisations look forward to working together and with the Department for Education to explore this option further.  

By providing a comprehensive what works centre relevant to those involved in designing and delivering support for children and families, this new organisation would reflect the often-shared ways of working across early help and children’s social care. A new centre with a broad and ambitious remit for early intervention and children’s social care would be well placed to generate much-needed new evidence on how best to support children and families, building on the foundation of evidence and robust research already established by EIF and WWCSC, and to work nationally and locally to ensure that services and practice are informed by the strongest evidence in order to improve outcomes for children and young people.  

EIF and WWCSC will continue to deliver their work to support evidence-informed policymaking and practice in children’s social care and across wider support for children, young people and families.