Experiences of families and children

Cumberland Children and Family Wellbeing Service's strengths in the participation of children and young people were recognised by Ofsted in the 2024 ILACS inspection.

Sine then, we have launched our first Participation and Engagement Strategy to create opportunities for children, young people and families to help shape decisions and influence services through a range of Youth Voice groups.

Within Family Hubs, Parent and Carer Champions are actively recruited. Their input into shaping the offer is welcomed and celebrated through ‘You said – we did’ notice boards. To ensure a coordinated approach, a Volunteer Coordinator works in partnership with the Community Development Team and voluntary sector groups.

There is currently underrepresented from fathers, families from diverse ethnic backgrounds and families who are not yet engaging with Family Hubs. Stakeholder feedback emphasised the importance of extending the Family Hub offer into community spaces to improve accessibility and increase engagement among families less likely to access early years groups.

Existing strengths

Following the formation of Cumberland Council on 1 April 2023, a two‑year Early Years Strategic Plan was developed and implemented through multi‑agency early years strategic group, strengthening partnership working across services. Examples of impact include:

• early years providers receiving strong advice, guidance and support from the Early Years Team and Speech and Language Therapists (SALTs)
• evidence of a more joined‑up approach between Health Visitors and Midwives when appointments are delivered from Family Hubs, improving coordination of support for children and families
• learning from the Transformation Fund 1 (TF1) pilot Family Hub, opened in April 2024, used to shape the wider roll‑out across seven Family Hubs the following year
• development of a core Best Start in Life offer across Family Hubs that responds to community needs and strengthens early support pathways

Challenges and opportunities

A joint review of the Early Years Strategic Plan in 2025, carried out with Blackpool Better Start, highlighted several areas for improvement.

There are significant gaps in integrated intelligence across maternity, health visiting, early years, SEND, and Family Hubs. The absence of shared digital protocols means data on coverage, referrals and progress remains siloed. This makes it harder to identify needs early and to understand the impact of interventions.

There is also limited specialist support for children aged birth to five experiencing attachment difficulties or challenges with emotional self-regulation. Provision for children under five with complex SEND needs is inconsistent, and greater integration between Early Help, Health and Education teams is required to meet these needs effectively.

Workforce capacity remains a key pressure. Recruitment and retention issues across early years and childcare settings affect the stability and quality of provision and restrict the sector's ability to expand to meet demand.

Inequality and poverty continue to affect access to early years services. We need to strengthen inclusion and ensure that families with English as an additional language, refugee communities and fathers are better represented. We also need to increase co‑production with families who have lived experience, so services are shaped by the people they aim to support.

Finally, long-term sustainability is affected by funding constraints. Cumberland is one of the lowest-funded areas nationally for early years, and stakeholders have emphasised the need to challenge national allocations so they reflect the additional pressures created by rurality and coastal deprivation.