Executive Summary: An evaluation of the Step Up Step Down pilot programme in Pembrokeshire

Roberts, Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6154-3549, Mannay, Dawn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7368-4111, Stevenson, Sylvia and Baker, Emily 2026. Executive Summary: An evaluation of the Step Up Step Down pilot programme in Pembrokeshire. [Project Report]. Cardiff: Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE). Available at: https://cascadewales.org/research/step-up-step-dow...

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Abstract

This evaluation focussed on the implementation of the Step Up Step Down programme in Wales, which supported families on the edge of care, with the aim being to reduce the number of children coming into care and to support the bonds and capacities of families. The evaluation was conducted in two phases to ensure that it would involve both implementation sites of the Step Up Step Down programme in Wales, Pembrokeshire and Powys. This executive summary focusses on the Step Up Step Down pilot in Pembrokeshire. Further detail on the evaluation and its findings is provided in the full report (Mannay et al. 2026). In the evaluation period, 12 families (23 children) successfully stepped down from the service, with an average involvement of 14 months. Among families who engaged with the programme in Pembrokeshire, the service achieved a 95% success rate, with 22 of the 23 children supported maintaining care arrangements at home. At the end of the evaluation period, the service was supporting 11 families (26 children), with an additional five families awaiting allocation. The evaluation involved children, parents and Family Support Foster Carers, as well as staff working directly for The Fostering Network in Wales, social workers and Local Authority Senior Leads who were involved in the commissioning, organisation and delivery of Step Up Step Down. The evidence generated in this evaluation suggests that the combination of all elements of the Step Up Step Down pilot worked effectively to support families who gained capacity, skills and knowledge, and built supportive networks, which contributed to stable family relationships. The positive experiences of those involved, alongside the programme’s success in supporting children to remain safely within, or return to, their families, provide important evidence to support the continued development and wider implementation of Step Up Step Down in Wales.

Item Type:	Report (Project Report)
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Research Institutes & Centres > Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	families, children's social care, foster care, social work, care experience
Publisher:	Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Funders:	The Fostering Network
Projects:	Step Up Step Down
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 August 2026
Last Modified:	28 Aug 2026 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189227

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