What Cradle to Career Has Taught Us About Partnership, Purpose and Planning for the Future
- Right to Succeed
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
At Right to Succeed, we know lasting change does not happen in isolation. It happens when organisations, schools, services and community groups work together around a shared purpose and develop ways of working that put children and families at the centre.
Over the last year, this has been happening through the Cradle to Career North Birkenhead (C2C) initiative. C2C is a place-based partnership that aims to improve outcomes for children and families from the earliest years through to adulthood. A formal evaluation led by the University of Manchester has helped clarify what is working, what remains challenging, and what needs to happen next if C2C is to continue beyond Right to Succeed’s current involvement.
Learning from collaboration: what partners are telling us
The evaluation shows that C2C has changed how people work together. Partners describe a shift from siloed delivery to collective planning, and from fragmented effort to shared purpose.
This shift has developed through sustained engagement. This includes steering groups, working groups, informal connections and shared problem-solving. Partners told evaluators that trust has grown between schools, community providers and services. They also reported that this is helping them respond more effectively to the needs of families.
This matters because complex challenges require coordinated responses. Partnerships allow organisations to draw on each other’s strengths and create more joined-up support.
Strong foundations, but unfinished business
Alongside the positives, the evaluation identifies gaps and risks.
A consistent theme from partners is that while there is growing clarity about ways of working, there is still no shared and clearly defined set of outcomes that everyone understands and can align behind.
In practical terms, this means people are not always using the same language when they talk about success. This makes it harder to sustain momentum, communicate purpose, and secure new investment. There is also a clear sustainability challenge. Many C2C activities rely on funding that Right to Succeed has helped to secure and manage. Partners value this support, but they recognise that this funding will not continue in the same way.
The evaluation also highlights the backbone function that Right to Succeed has played across the programme. This includes bringing people together, maintaining focus on the collective purpose, and enabling different groups to work in a coherent way. Without a planned transition of this function, partners expressed concern that progress could be difficult to maintain.
What we need to do next, together
The Manchester report does not only describe achievements and challenges. It also sets out clear priorities for the future. First, there is a need for a shared road map of purpose and outcomes, developed and owned locally by partners. This means agreeing what success looks like so partners can work towards the same goals.
Second, partners are being asked to clarify the role and purpose of governance structures. The steering group and working groups have been important spaces for connection. They now need a clearer focus on action and accountability.
Most importantly, C2C needs a new backbone arrangement. This may look different from the current model, but it must retain what partners value most. This includes neutral coordination, trusted relationship building, and the capacity to maintain an overview of the whole programme.
Staying focused on what matters
C2C has shown that listening, adapting and working together can support better joined-up working for children and families.
However, sustainability is not automatic. It requires clarity, intention and shared ownership.
As the programme enters its next phase, what partners commit to will shape whether Cradle to Career continues as a coherent partnership programme or becomes a set of separate activities.
We will share more about next steps as partners work through what sustainability means in practice. In the meantime, we want to thank everyone who has contributed so far, and the partners who continue to support children and families across North Birkenhead.
To read the full University of Manchester Cradle to Career North Birkenhead Evaluation and Good News Report download below.