Council celebrates success

WARRINGTON Borough Council’s Children’s Services department has been flagging up their successes to a panel of experts in the House of Lords – including Baroness Estelle Morris.
They gave a valuable insight to the panel on how children and families in the town are getting better support.
Warrington’s Family Support Model has gained national recognition for the way in which it supports vulnerable children and young people.
In simple terms, the model enables each child to be assessed as part of the family unit, looking at factors like parental relationships, school attendance and truancy, mental health, and other issues which might be preventing a child from achieving, and then joining up a range of services to provide targeted support for the whole family.
About 200 children and young people have already benefited from this co-ordinated support, with 75 per cent of those taking part either showing marked improvements in their chances of achieving their full potential or showing that their issues have stabilised.
The review and new schemes are part of the national “Narrow the Gap” programme that aims to improve ways of working for children and young people.
Head of the council’s Community Support Services, Sue Cockerill, said: “The panel were very impressed at the tangible impact our Family Support Model has had on improving the life chances for young people and their families.
“By looking at each child as an individual, but also a key part of the family unit, we’ve been able to develop a much more rounded approach to supporting children and can see how this joined-up support has boosted their chances of fulfilling their potential and performing at least as well as their peers.”
The model has also been nominated for the Achievement of the Year in the Children’s Services category at the Municipal Journal Awards in London in June.