 children may face challenges which are associated with their child’s disability rather than as a result of safeguarding and create processes that allow families to access the support they need. • Leaders are confident that decisions about access to targeted support are clear and equitable, so that children and young people from different socio-demographic groups experience consistency in the kind of support available. Leaders identify and use workforce expertise to inform decisions about how to provide help, protection, and care when it is needed. 32 • Leaders design services so that when targeted support is not needed by children, young people and families, there are clear routes that help them to access the universal services that will meet their needs. • Leaders understand the importance of education as a protective factor, which helps to keep children and young people safe and able to reach their potential. Leaders establish strong partnerships with education leaders, setting high aspirations for engagement in education and support to address barriers to attendance and attainment. • Leaders value the expertise of the Virtual School Head and, where needed, support them to champion improved educational outcomes for children and young people. How practice supervisors should achieve this outcome in practice • Practice supervisors understand that the first interactions a family has with children’s social care, from the point of an initial referral, can influence how they respond to the help available. They support their teams to endeavour to make the first interactions positive, welcoming, and inclusive, involving whole families and their networks. • Practice supervisors are child-centred and promote whole family approaches to help meet their needs. They encourage pract