Sefton Council has published a report capturing the voices of more than 600 children, young people and families as part of the Families First Partnership engagement programme. The findings paint a positive and hopeful picture of a community committed to working together to improve services and strengthen support for families across the borough. 

Transparency and engagement

The report forms part of Sefton’s ongoing commitment to children and young people, which focuses on transparency, meaningful engagement and ensuring that families can see how their input is influencing real change.

Over 25 community groups, 20 events and 637 surveys contributed to the report, showing high levels of engagement, particularly from children aged 5 to 12, who made up 62% of all responses. 

Families shared many positive experiences, including:

• A strong sense of support:
  Nearly two‑thirds (64.16%) of respondents said they feel safe and supported by local services. 
• Awareness of where to seek help:
  57.5% of families reported knowing where to turn when they need support.
• Trusted adults playing a key role:
  Younger children highlighted teachers, school staff and parents/carers as their most regular sources of support.

These positive foundations reflect the ongoing improvements across children’s services and reaffirm the importance of strong, consistent relationships in helping families thrive.

While the overall picture is encouraging, families were clear about where progress is still needed. Their top priorities include:

• Receiving help earlier (59%)
• More support for parents and carers (57%)
• More support specifically for young people (47%)  

This feedback will directly shape the development and rollout of Sefton’s new Family Help Model, part of the Families First Partnership, a national programme designed to bring services together so that families get the right support at the right time.

A short animation video has been produced to summarise the report findings. This has been published alongside the full report on the council website at You Said, We're Listening

Cllr Diane Roscoe, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families at Sefton Council, said: “The report findings show how powerful the voices of our children, young people and families truly are. Their insight doesn’t just highlight what’s working well, it guides us toward what needs to happen next. We’re listening, we’re learning and we’re acting. Together, we’re building a future where support is easier to access, more joined‑up and shaped by the people who use it every day.”

Next steps

Through co‑design, the council will be working closely with families to transform services across Sefton throughout 2026.

More information on Sefton’s Family First Partnership can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/ffp