Children, Families, and Youth Support Award

This award recognises a public authority or social services provider that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to improving the wellbeing, protection, and development of children, families, and young people. It honours initiatives that provide holistic, preventive, and person-centred support to ensure children and young people can thrive in safe, nurturing, and inclusive environments.

Examples of key areas in children, families, and youth support in social services:

• Support Families and Early Intervention – Strengthening families through parenting programmes, family mediation, and integrated early childhood services to prevent crises and ensure stability.
• Promote Child Protection and Safeguarding – Implementing services that protect children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, ensuring their safety and long-term wellbeing.
• Foster Alternative Care and Deinstitutionalisation – Promoting family- and community-based care alternatives to institutions, supporting foster care, kinship care, and adoption services.
• Support Mental Health and Wellbeing – Providing accessible mental health services for children and young people, particularly for those in vulnerable situations.
• Promote Youth Empowerment and Inclusion – Supporting education, employment pathways, and social inclusion programmes that equip young people with skills, resilience, and opportunities for an independent future.
• Provide Support for Vulnerable and At-Risk Groups – Addressing the needs of children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those with disabilities, unaccompanied children, and those affected by migration or poverty.

Special consideration is given to initiatives that:

• Take a child-centred, rights-based approach, ensuring children and young people have a voice in decisions affecting their lives within the programme or service.
• Promote an integrated approach in service delivery integrating different services to provide coordinated support.
• Engage families and communities, strengthening local networks that support children’s well-being and development.
• Show measurable impact, improving safety, stability, and life outcomes for children and young people.
• Are scalable and transferable, offering models that can inspire practice in other European regions.