Major new project to target Wigan's most disadvantaged children
A pioneering support programme is being launched in Wigan to boost the prospects of scores of youngsters facing systemic disadvantages in life.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza will join the launch of AllChild’s community programme on Monday which is designed to tackle hard-wired socio-economic inequalities.
It is the first project of its type to be rolled out beyond London.
AllChild will target 250 children in seven schools with tailored programmes co-designed with Wigan Council, Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, local community organisations, and local schools. They will provide dedicated Link Workers and new opportunities to build social, emotional, and academic skills, with the ambition to reduce child mental health referrals, truancy and school suspensions
Taking place at Leigh Sports Village, the launch event will also feature contributions from supporters of the programme, including The National Lottery and Bank of America.
It marks the start of “Impact Programmes” for at-risk children and young people in the area, designed and delivered through children and young person’s charity AllChild in partnership with Wigan Council.
AllChild works in neighbourhoods of higher-than-average socio-economic inequality and provides a dedicated, trusted adult for each child called a Link Worker, who works directly with families, teachers, and local organisations to deliver a tailored plan for every child to help them build their social, emotional, and academic skills.
AllChild chief executive Louisa Mitchell MBE said: “We are delighted to be launching our first out-of-London model in Wigan.
"Mayor Andy Burnham and Wigan Council’s vision for children and young people is truly inspiring.
"AllChild’s community-led model of support and opportunity, working alongside families, schools, and the Early Help service, is strongly aligned with this vision.
"We share their commitment to ‘people, prevention and place’ and to taking an approach that focuses on building trusted relationships and an evidence base over time to make the case for early action with children and families.”
Mr Burnham said: “We know that a whole person approach led by local communities is the most effective way of creating positive change.
"We are excited to welcome this new partnership with AllChild, using a child centred model that provides wrap-around care to children and families in Wigan.
"This will use the strengths of the local community to give children and young people here the opportunities and skills they need to flourish.”
Other speakers include Colette Dutton, director of children’s services for Wigan Council, Phil Chamberlain, England Director for The National Lottery Community Fund, and Iwona Szmidt, Managing Director and site lead in Chester at Bank of America. Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza, a long-time supporter of AllChild’s work, will also be sending a special video message.
Iwona Szmidt, Managing Director and site lead for Chester for Bank of America, a key supporter of AllChild since its foundation, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with AllChild as it expands into Wigan.
"Ensuring all children and young people are equipped with social, emotional, and academic skills is essential for supporting a healthy development and key to helping tackle systemic societal inequality.
"AllChild’s ambition aligns with our long-term commitment to Responsible Growth and promoting social mobility. We look forward to our continued partnership and seeing young people and children prosper.”
AllChild is a charity with a track record of building place-based, early action partnerships that change the system for children and families.
Since 2016, it has supported more than 5,000 children across 60 schools who are at risk of negative outcomes including exclusion, developing mental health disorders, and requiring social care. It works with children who don’t yet require statutory or high-needs support but have a range of risk factors that could lead to these negative outcomes and the need for more serious intervention later.
Following eight years of delivery in west London under the name West London Zone, the charity rebranded to AllChild in May 2024. The new project in Wigan marks its first outside of west London.
AllChild and Wigan Council say they worked closely to identify local assets, as well as gaps and challenges in the area's current early action landscape, to arrive at a collective impact model that addresses its specific challenges.
Trusted Link Worker relationships remain at the heart of the approach, but through listening and research, the model will employ a ‘whole-family’, holistic focus, to join up quality local services and organisations around proactively identified children and families.
Last month, Wigan Council launched a borough-wide plan in partnership with residents, businesses, public services, and community organisations to respond to the borough’s current opportunities and challenges together.
Coun Jenny Bullen, cabinet member for children’s services at Wigan Council, said: “Our Progress with Unity plan sets out two clear missions for the borough, which includes creating fair opportunities for all children and families.
“The move to a whole family approach, to really understanding what is happening in children’s lives – in their families, in school and in the community - is central to our early help and prevention work in Wigan Borough.
"These new Impact Programmes, with the help of AllChild and in partnership with joined-up local public, private and community support services, as well as the communities of Leigh, Atherton, and Tyldesley themselves, we will be better able to identify and support children and young people before they reach crisis point and give them the opportunities they need to flourish in whatever life they choose.”
Ms Mitchell added: “We have a tangible vision of how our principles and delivery of early action with children and young people at the tipping point of need can be translated, in place, to serve families and communities nationwide and help achieve deep and lasting change.
"The implementation of this collaborative way of working in Wigan will add to the growing evidence that it is this kind of support and opportunity that can best give children and young people in underserved neighbourhoods the chance to flourish.
"We have been struck by the enthusiasm of local community organisations, schools, and wider systems of support in Wigan to design a new system of support that coordinates and amplifies the fantastic local resources already in place.
"We’re so excited to have started!”