Stockton on Tees - Strengthening Stockton’s Family Help Partnership

Background

In 2025, as national reforms gathered pace, the local partnership recognised the need to refresh its Early Help strategy and move toward a coherent Family Help model.

Our Role

Over a three-part workshop series, we designed and facilitated events to develop a shared understanding of Family Help and co-produce the foundations of a local strategy.

The Process

Workshop 1 – Laying the Foundations (May 2025)
Partners explored Stockton’s Early Help journey, reflecting on progress and challenges over the past decade. Using the Early Help System Guide, participants mapped key milestones, identified patterns, and defined what “outstanding” support looks like for families.

Workshop 2 – Defining Priorities (July 2025)
Building on the first session, partners benchmarked the local system against national descriptors, focusing on family voice, workforce, communities, leadership, and data. They identified what was working well and prioritised key areas for development across the partnership.

Workshop 3 – From Insight to Action (September 2025)
Partners reviewed themes and created targeted action plans in four priority areas: governance, communication, data sharing, and attendance. Each plan defined actions, ownership, and timelines to ensure sustainable improvement and accountability.

Outcomes

• A shared understanding of the Family Help vision aligned with national reform.
• A draft governance structure and agreed next steps for integrated decision-making.
• Clear multi-agency action plans with identified leads and timescales.
• Renewed commitment to partnership working and relationship-based practice.

Impact

The series helped reframe Early Help as a whole-system approach rather than a discrete service — embedding shared ownership across partners. It also strengthened the foundation for Stockton’s forthcoming Families First Partnership Strategy, ensuring the voice of families, communities, and practitioners is central to its design and delivery.

Client Feedback

_{"Excellent facilitation as always. Your depth of understanding of the issues is invaluable, as is your ability to offer an external perspective and constructive challenge to the partnership. I really appreciate how your values drive everything you do to make a real difference for children and families — it shines through so naturally. Truly inspiring and motivating for us all." Jane Smith, Head of Service, Children's Strategy & Commissioning}