A MULTI-million pound scheme to try to prevent children getting caught up in the care system will be revealed tomorrow.

The £3.2 million Bradford Council initiative, called B Positive Pathways, will focus on stopping families falling apart, as well as helping to reunite children in the care system with their parents as early as possible.

The scheme will begin tomorrow at an event that will involve young people, social care professionals and Robert Goodwill, Scarborough MP and Minister of State for Children and Families.

The initiative will run for four years, and has received funding of £1.6m for two years from the Department for Education’s Innovation Fund.

As of Monday, there were 961 young people in the care of Bradford Council. Earlier this year, a report into the care system found there was an “increasing demand” across social care over the last financial year, including a rise in referrals, assessments and an increase in the number of care proceedings.

The new scheme will involve a ‘hub’ children’s home, incorporating an outreach team with staff who are skilled in providing support at the time of crisis to prevent a family breakdown.

The team will then work with families in the longer term to support them and stabilise their crisis, and with families and young people who are on the edge of care or on the cusp of being put into care, to prevent their problems growing.

The outreach team can also call on the support of a police officer, life coach, and speech and language therapist. If placing a person into residential care is the only option, the team will work to limit it to the shortest period possible.

Mr Goodwill said: “This government is working hard to make sure that all children, regardless of their background or the challenges they face in life, get the best start. I’m delighted to be launching this programme in Bradford, which will put these children at the heart of its work and help families to resolve difficulties and stay together.

“As one of our 12 Opportunity Areas, Bradford is getting a share of our £72 million funding, and is playing a vital part in our work to tackle low social mobility and raise the horizons of young people.”

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “B Positive Pathways is about taking a whole family approach to resolving problems. Placing a child in care is a last resort, and this programme will help us keep families together by providing them with support to help them through the difficulties they may have.”

Michael Jameson, the Council’s strategic director of children’s services, said: “It is about providing care which is tailored to the needs of children and young people and creating a stable and secure base where children and young people have a sense of belonging. Taking this approach means we can provide the right support, in the right place at the right time so both the child and family have the best long-term outcome.”