This page is dedicated to sharing what families, professionals, and inspectors have told us about Children’s services within Sefton, and what we’re doing in response. We believe in listening, learning, and acting. By being transparent, we aim to build trust and show how your voices shape the way we support children and families across our community.
The Families First Partnership is designed to improve how services work together to support families. We’ve been gathering feedback from families, our workforce, external partners and reviewing what Ofsted said to inform how and where we can make improvements in the way we deliver services.
We’ve gathered what people have told us through surveys, conversations, and other engagement activities. Some of the feedback is shown as direct quotes, while other parts have been summarised or paraphrased to reflect the main ideas. A full report detailing all of the feedback is coming soon.
We’ve included a range of voices to show what families, professionals, and the workforce have shared.
Families Said
You said: “We want one place to ask for help.”
We’re listening: We’re creating a centralised digital hub — a “one-stop-shop” — where families can find information, updates, and support in one easy-to-access place.
You said: “We need help earlier, before things get worse.”
We’re listening: We’re exploring a family help model in which professional and partners will work together in community neighbourhoods to make sure families get the right support at the right time.
You said: “We want more support in schools.”
We’re listening: We’re working with schools to strengthen the Team around the schools model by making sure help is available where children and their families already are.
You said: “We’re tired of repeating our story.”
We’re listening: We’ll be co-designing a single shared plan with families, workforce and partners. So families don’t have to retell their story again and again.
You said: “We don’t always feel listened to.”
We’re listening: We recognise how important the voice of children, young people and families are in making sure we deliver services that meet the needs of our community. That’s why we want you to be involved in the upcoming co-production sessions. We’re continuing to explore other ways to improve participation and engagement.
You said: “We need better communication between services.”
We’re listening: We’ll be co-designing integrated teams around families and improving how services share information, so families experience more joined-up support.
You said: “Domestic abuse support needs to be better.”
We’re listening: We’ll be reviewing the range of support available and making sure services are trauma-informed and accessible to all families.
You said: “Costs stop us from joining in.”
We’re listening: We have recently procured the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to identify families facing financial hardship and automatically connect them with welfare support, helping remove cost barriers that prevent participation in community activities.
You said: “I can’t always reach my Social worker”
We’re listening: We’re reviewing school and community-based social work models to ensure professionals are embedded where families and children already are – they’ll be where you are, when you need them.
You said: You’d like to see survey results displayed in multiple ways that would be easy to understand and clear.
We’re listening: We’ve made this page and we’re making a short video to highlight the key messages from all the feedback, along with a full report.
Our Workforce and Partners Said
You said: “We need more joined-up, collaborative approaches.”
We’re listening: We’re improving multi-agency working through co-design of services and shared training, joint planning, and better communication across services.
You said: “We need clearer communication and shared language across services.”
We’re listening: We’re reviewing how we communicate across teams and with families. We’re exploring ways to simplify language, improve consistency, and ensure everyone understands their role in the wider system.
You said: “Co-location could help us work better together.”
We’re listening: We’re considering how co-locating teams might support stronger relationships, better information sharing, and more joined-up support for families.
You said: “Families need fewer hand-offs and more continuity.”
We’re listening: We’re reflecting on how to reduce duplication and ensure families have consistent, trusted professionals supporting them throughout their journey.
You said: “We want to be involved in shaping services.”
We’re listening: We’re looking at how to embed co-design into service development, ensuring frontline staff and families have a voice in shaping what comes next.
You said: “Training and development are key to making this work.”
We’re listening: We’re reviewing training needs across the partnership, including trauma-informed practice, SEND, and multi-agency working, to support confidence and consistency.
You said: “We need realistic timeframes and clear governance.”
We’re listening: We’re taking time to plan a phased approach to implementation, with space to test, learn, and adapt as we go.
You said: “Let’s build on what’s already working.”
We’re listening: We’re identifying existing strengths — like Team Around the School (TAS), Family Hubs, and trusted relationships — and considering how these can be built into the new model.
Ofsted
You said: “Responses to neglect need to be more consistent and timelier.”
We’re listening: We’re reviewing how we respond to neglect, including how decisions are made and how support is coordinated. We’re exploring ways to strengthen locality-based working to help improve consistency and reduce delays.
You said: “Management oversight should better inform decision-making in complex cases.”
We’re listening: We’re considering how leadership and supervision can be further developed to support confident, well-informed decisions across all levels of practice.
You said: “Safeguarding decisions need to be better informed by multi-agency information.”
We’re listening: We’re reflecting on how information is shared and used across services, and looking at opportunities to improve multi-agency coordination and decision-making.
You said: “Communication with parents, especially in pre-proceedings, could be clearer.”
We’re listening: We’re reviewing how we communicate with families to ensure that our messages are clear, compassionate, and help parents understand and engage with the support available.
You said: “Records for disabled children should better reflect their lived experiences.”
We’re listening: We’re looking at how we capture and use children’s voices in our records, and considering ways to ensure their experiences are fully understood and reflected in planning.
You said: “The new complaints process needs to be fully embedded.”
We’re listening: We’re continuing to review how families engage with our complaints process and how feedback is used to shape services. We’re committed to making this process more accessible and effective.
What Happens Next?
We’ll keep updating this page as we hear more from you.
Your voice helps shape the future of services in Sefton.
Co-design is key to getting The Families First Partnership right in Sefton — this is where we work together to create better services. More updates will be coming early 2026.