£1.5 million investment to establish Cradle to Career in Seacombe
Seacombe in Wallasey has been selected as one of the first four communities to benefit from Communities for Children, a major new UK-wide programme focused on reducing the impact of child poverty.
Right to Succeed will receive £1.5 million over five years to establish a new Cradle to Career programme in Seacombe. The funding will create the time and resources needed to build strong local relationships, understand the community’s priorities and support long-term, community-led change.
Communities for Children is backed by a £15 million collaboration between BBC Children in Need, City Bridge Foundation, Pears Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund. It will eventually work across ten areas of the UK with high levels of child poverty.
Alongside Seacombe, the first communities selected are Hackney in London, Wishaw in North Lanarkshire and Holyhead in Anglesey. Six further areas will join the programme in 2027.
Place-based change with the Seacombe community
Our Cradle to Career programme will bring residents, schools, services and community organisations together to understand what children and families need and agree on a shared vision for change.
Rather than introducing a predetermined solution, the programme will begin by listening to people in Seacombe. Local knowledge, experiences and ambitions will help shape its priorities and the work that follows.
As always, we will act as a backbone organisation, supporting partners to work collectively, coordinate their efforts and build on the strengths already present within the community.
Graeme Duncan, CEO of Right to Succeed, said:
“Communities for Children will enable us to establish a new Cradle to Career programme in Seacombe, drawing on six years of learning and impact in nearby North Birkenhead.
We look forward to building relationships in Seacombe, bringing residents, schools, services and community organisations together to co-design a shared vision for children and young people.
By backing local ambition and learning alongside the community, we hope to break down barriers to opportunity and create lasting change.”
Building on our work across the Liverpool City Region
Our Cradle to Career programmes are already being delivered across the Liverpool City Region, including North Birkenhead, Speke, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Sefton.
In nearby North Birkenhead, six years of Cradle to Career have shown what can happen when local people and organisations unite around shared priorities for children and young people. The programme has focused on areas including literacy, access to support, opportunities for young people and the wider conditions affecting families.
This experience will provide valuable learning, but the work in Seacombe will be shaped by Seacombe. Every community has different strengths, relationships and challenges, so its priorities must be defined by the people who live and work there.
Rekha Patel-Harrison, Chief Programmes and Development Officer at Right to Succeed, said:
“We’re excited that, thanks to Children in Need’s Communities for Children funding, Seacombe will be the latest community we work with.
Drawing on our experience and the impact we’ve seen across the region, we’re looking forward to building long-term relationships, hearing what matters most to local people and bringing everyone together to co-design a shared vision that improves outcomes for children and young people in the area.”
More than four million children across the UK are currently growing up in poverty. While many of its underlying causes require national action, Communities for Children recognises the important role communities can play in addressing local barriers and creating better-connected systems of support.
Learning from Seacombe and the other participating communities will be shared across the programme. This will help develop a stronger understanding of how place-based approaches can reduce the impact of child poverty and inform wider policy and practice.
The first stage of our work will focus on listening, building relationships and learning from the people who know Seacombe best.
Find out more about the national programme from the Pears Foundation.
