Cradle to Career is being hailed as a potential blueprint for transforming outcomes in left behind communities.
A new evaluation by the University of Manchester has found “much to be celebrated” in the achievements of Cradle to Career North Birkenhead since the launch of the ambitious 20-year programme in 2021.
By bringing together schools, local services, and community organisations under a shared umbrella, the project is achieving measurable improvements in education, family support, and social cohesion, offering valuable insights for other areas facing similar challenges across the UK.
The Cradle to Career initiative encompasses a “considerable range of valuable activities”, according to the report, all focused on North Birkenhead – a two-square-mile area in the Wirral with a population of approximately 10,000 residents.
Many of these activities aim to drive significant changes in how local services operate, placing community priorities and family needs at the heart of decision-making.
The report highlights several notable successes, including the establishment of a new partnership dedicated to supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Additionally, the introduction of a community-based multi-disciplinary team (MDT) model has enabled more coordinated and effective support directly to families.
Researchers state that this work is “changing – or has the potential to change – local systems”.
The evaluation also found that schools and community organisations are working together to improve reading, share best practice, and deliver tailored interventions for families and children. By focusing efforts within a defined area, the initiative has become a testbed for strategies that can be scaled to other communities facing similar challenges.
Researchers noted:
“A strong area-focus has been established, generating new learning about the area and attracting new resources and commitment. New and productive relationships have been developed between organisations who have not previously worked together.”
The report also identifies several ways the programme could be strengthened further to build on these strong foundations.
These include securing sustainable funding, creating a more joined up strategy, clarifying ownership of the project and ensuring the voices of local residents shape the programme’s future at a strategic level.
Meanwhile, housing, mental health, and career guidance are identified as areas ripe for further development.
The report’s lead author, Professor Kirstin Kerr, from the Manchester Institute of Education, stated:
“Overall, there is much to be celebrated. New relationships and ways of working have been developed, and Cradle to Career North Birkenhead has been established as an entity that can attract additional funding and resources.
“The challenge now is how to sustain and build on these developments to date, and address emerging issues.”
Cradle to Career was first launched in North Birkenhead five years ago. The project was instigated and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation, with support from SHINE and the UBS Optimus Foundation.
It is delivered by Right to Succeed in partnership with Wirral Council and more than 50 local partner organisations.
Since its launch, Right to Succeed impact evaluations have found that Cradle to Career North Birkenhead has significantly improved literacy among children, given families easy access to the support they need, and created more opportunities for local children and young people.
Schools have closed a 15-month reading age gap across all 8-16-year-olds and the uptake of the 30-hour early years offer has significantly increased, with the community going from having the lowest participation rate in the local authority to the highest. Additionally, the number of children facing decisions about entering the care system has drastically decreased, from 7-8 cases per week to just 7-8 cases per year.
“This approach is showing that systemic change is possible when resources are focused, and organisations work together,” said Steff O’Keefe, Programme Director.
“Cradle to Career North Birkenhead is setting an example for what can be achieved in areas facing deep-rooted challenges borne from the loss of its primary industry.
“With its focus on innovation, collaboration, and impact, the initiative offers a potential roadmap for communities across the UK seeking to break cycles of poverty and create lasting opportunities for future generations.”
Following early evidence of promise in the North Birkenhead pilot, this groundbreaking initiative is being tested in other parts of Merseyside and Halton thanks to an investment of £5.25m by Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, plus additional funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, SHINE, National Lottery Community Fund, Bank of America and A&O Shearman.
Mr Rotheram has called for other parts of the UK to learn from the Cradle to Career model.
Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “We are delighted to be supporting an independent evaluation of Cradle to Career with our partners in the region. These emerging insights will help ensure the programme can continue to strengthen and grow over the coming years and build on the strong foundations that have been laid.”
Steve Morgan CBE, Chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:
“As a Foundation, we firmly believe that the ethos of collaborative working is the most effective strategy for delivering positive change and this was the driver which led us to instigate the Cradle to Career programme.
“The impact the initiative has had clearly demonstrates what can be achieved when services join together and we are pleased to be supporting further expansion of the model to enable similar ‘left behind’ communities to change the outcomes for children and young people moving forwards.