North West Impact Stories

Partnership Working in Education: Safeguarding Success from Across the North West

This section showcases a range of impact stories highlighting effective partnership working between the education sector and safeguarding partners across the North West region. Each example illustrates how collaborative approaches are making a difference in protecting and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

These impact stories reflect diverse local contexts and innovative practices, offering valuable insights and inspiration for professionals working in education and safeguarding. They demonstrate how strategic alignment, shared priorities, and strong relationships can lead to impactful outcomes.

You’ll also find these impact stories embedded within the Education Partnership section of the site, where they are referenced at relevant points to support and enrich the wider narrative around regional collaboration and system leadership.

 

 

Stronger Together: How Partnerships Boost Attendance

Promoting school attendance isn’t just about education—it’s a safeguarding priority. When children miss school, they can become isolated, fall behind academically, and face increased vulnerability to harm. A partnership approach brings together education, health, police, social care, and wider services to identify barriers early, provide the right support, and keep children connected to learning. Strong collaboration ensures better emotional wellbeing, improved life chances, and safer outcomes for every child.

Explore our impact stories to see how partnership working is making a real difference.

 

 

Working in Partnership with GPs - Claire Fox (Lancashire)
                          
Families First Partnership Reforms:
  • Early Help & Prevention - Schools often learned about issues late via GP sick notes. The joint letter and referral pathway encourage GPs to contact schools first, enabling timely support and reducing unnecessary absence.
  • Multi-Agency Collaboration - Strong links between Local Authority, schools, and Local Medical Committee (LMC) were leveraged to co-create guidance and a shared process, fostering joined-up working across education and health.
  • Shared Responsibility for Attendance & Wellbeing - The guidance positions attendance as part of a child’s holistic wellbeing, ensuring GPs, schools, and parents share accountability for keeping children engaged in education.
  • Clear Pathways & Accessible Support - Implementation guidelines provide GPs with a service list and referral options (e.g., MHSTs, school health), making it easier for families to access help without prolonged absence.
  • Voice of the Child - The impact story includes a child’s perspective: “If my school and the doctor talk to each other, I get the right help…”, reflecting FFP’s commitment to child-centred practice.
Working in Partnership with GPs Downloads
lancs_is_gp_letter_download.pdf
lcc_lmc_letter_to_schools_re_gp_medical_evidence.docx

 

 

School Readiness & Early Transition - John Gilmore (Oldham)
        Oldham Council                  Oldham SCP
Families First Partnership Reforms:
  • Early Intervention: Proactively engaged families before term start to remove barriers, reflecting the Families First focus on prevention and early help.
  • Whole-Family Support: Signposted parents to Family Hubs and wider services, aligning with integrated family support principles.
  • Data-Driven Approach: Used nursery attendance data to identify at-risk children, supporting the reform’s emphasis on evidence-based decision-making.
  • Multi-Agency Collaboration: Worked with admissions, SEND teams, and Family Hubs, consistent with the partnership’s goal of joined-up services.
  • Personalised Engagement: Adopted a supportive, non-punitive approach tailored to family needs, in line with the reforms’ commitment to family voice and choice.
  • Focus on Outcomes: Improved attendance and reduced parental anxiety, demonstrating impact on school readiness and long-term educational outcomes.
  • Future Planning for Sustainability: Plans for home visits, digital outreach, and predictive analytics mirror the reforms’ ambition for innovative, scalable solutions.
School Readiness & Early Transition Downloads
oldham_is_school_readiness_download.pdf
oldham_-_school_readiness_presentation_1.pptx
oldham_-_school_readiness_presentation_2.pptx

 

 

Returning from Alternative Provision to Mainstream Education - Andrew Hawley (TCAT)
                          
Families First Partnership Reforms:
  • Provides early, trauma‑informed help to reduce barriers and improve attendance.
  • Uses multi‑agency teamwork between staff, families, schools and specialists.
  • Works with whole families to address needs and strengthen engagement.
  • Delivers seamless support with clear reintegration plans back into school.
  • Embeds relational, safe and trauma‑informed practice throughout.
  • Offers targeted, evidence‑based interventions to meet specific needs.
  • Improves attendance and prevents exclusion, supporting FFP’s core outcomes.
Returning to Mainstream Education Downloads
tcat_is_ap_download.pdf

 

 

Belonging & Attendance: Relational Practice - Lynsey Burridge (Trafford)
                               
Families First Partnership Reforms:
  • Delivers trauma‑informed, relational Family Help, reflecting FFP’s vision for early, holistic support rooted in strong, consistent relationships.
  • Wraps support around the whole family, addressing adversity, unstable relationships, and unmet needs—aligned with FFP’s whole‑family, needs‑led approach.
  • Uses multi‑agency teamwork across education, health, mental health, and social care, mirroring FFP’s integrated multi‑disciplinary model.
  • Strengthens consistent, joined‑up practice, echoing FFP expectations for unified planning and shared professional responsibility.
  • Builds practitioner skill and confidence through whole‑school training, supervision and professional development—aligned with FFP aims to uplift workforce capability.
  • Promotes evidence‑based, relational behaviour approaches, replacing punitive models in line with FFP’s emphasis on relational, restorative practice.
  • Improves attendance, reduces exclusions, and strengthens belonging—supporting FFP’s goal of keeping children engaged, safe and connected to education.
  • Creates system‑wide cultural change, aligning with FFP ambitions for whole‑system reform that is reflective, trauma‑aware and co‑produced with partners. 
Belonging & Attendance Downloads
trafford_is_belong_download.pdf
bridge_conference_presentation_-_no_films_0.pptx
trafford_belong_poster_jpg.pdf

Stronger Together: Developing Education as a Strategic Partner

Building education’s role as an equal and strategic partner within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements is both essential and complex. This is not a straightforward process; it requires sensitivity, mutual respect, and a genuine two-way approach. While the education sector brings unique insights and significant value to strategic safeguarding, it also benefits from learning from the expertise and statutory responsibilities of other partners. The case studies below showcase best practice examples of how this collaborative journey can be navigated effectively, ensuring that all voices contribute to stronger, safer outcomes for children and young people.

Explore our impact stories to see how partnership working is making a real difference.

 

Embedding Education as a Strategic Partner - Nicola Griffiths (Wirral)
We Are Wirral        Wirral FFCP
Families First Partnership Reforms:
  • Strengthened multi-agency collaboration by elevating education to a strategic, equal partner in safeguarding.
  • Focused on prevention and early help through early engagement and quick wins that built momentum and trust.
  • Enhanced governance and accountability with executive-level education representation and an established education committee.
  • Promoted shared learning and system improvement via the DSL Community of Practice and an online portal.
  • Used data and evidence to inform priorities, including a review of S175 audit effectiveness and an information-sharing pilot.
  • Elevated the voice of children and young people as part of future planning, aligning with child-centred principles.
  • Deepened partnership working by connecting education with Family Hubs and the voluntary sector.
  • Adopted distributed leadership and sector-wide representation, ensuring inclusivity across early years, schools, and other education settings.
  • Embedded continuous improvement through impact measures and plans for sub-regional representation.
Embedding Education as a Strategic Partner Downloads
wirral_is_embedding_education_download.pdf
wirral_embedding_education_as_a_strategic_partner_presentation.pdf

Stronger Together: Education's Frontline Role In Early Identification

Education settings are often the first place where safeguarding concerns emerge, placing schools, colleges, and early years providers on the frontline of early identification and support. These impact stories showcase how professionals within education notice the earliest signs that a child or family may need help or protection, and how they respond with care, vigilance, and partnership. From providing direct support and building trusted relationships, to connecting families with targeted services, monitoring progress, and escalating concerns when necessary, the education workforce plays a critical, proactive role in keeping children safe and helping them thrive.

Explore our impact stories to see how partnership working is making a real difference.

 

 

Team Around the School Approach - Jacqueline Finlay (Sefton)
               
Families First Partnership Reforms:

  • Early, preventative support delivered through coordinated, school‑led intervention.
  • Shared risk management across education, health, council, and voluntary partners.
  • Strong multi‑agency collaboration through cluster meetings and joint planning.
  • Simplified, joined‑up support that reduces duplication and improves consistency.
  • Strengths-based, relational practice via the Pathway to Change model.
  • Flexible, proportionate help ranging from light-touch signposting to longer-term support.
  • Workforce development through shared training and peer learning.
  • Data‑informed decision making supported by neighbourhood-level dashboards.
  • Community connection and early conversations through drop‑ins and informal events.
  • Clear readiness for Families First integration, including revisiting roles and embedding Early Years partners.
Team Around the School Approach Downloads
sefton_is_tas_download.pdf
team_around_the_school_case_study.pdf

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