Strengthening Partnership Working to support Improvements in 3 year old GLD

Lancashire County Council identified improving school readiness and the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) as a key strategic priority. System intelligence showed that too many children were reaching school age without the core developmental foundations needed to thrive 

As GLD and school readiness are shared priorities across the wider partnership, a joined up programme focusing specifically on families with children aged 3 to 3½ year was designed to tackle a specific gap in consistent, high‑quality opportunity, multi agency support for developmental outcomes ahead of school entry.

This case study demonstrates joint working between public health providers and the local authority. 

Lancashire County Council has identified improving school readiness and the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) as a key strategic priority. This work sits within Lancashire’s overarching ambition to improve outcomes for children through earlier, more coordinated intervention, with governance and direction provided through the Best Start in Life Board, which holds system‑wide oversight of school readiness and GLD improvement.

Within this context, Lancashire recognised a clear opportunity to strengthen joint working between Public Health, Health colleagues from Health Care Resourcing Group, also known as HCRG, (commissioned to provide Healthy Child programme support in Lancashire) and the Children and Family Wellbeing (CFW) Service. The focus is specifically on families with children aged 3 to 3½ years. 

As GLD and school readiness are shared priorities across the wider partnership system, this programme was deliberately designed to tackle a specific gap that of consistent, high‑quality opportunity joint working to maximise trusted contact with families, and positively influence developmental outcomes ahead of school entry.

The 3–3½ year school readiness offer is therefore best understood as both:

• A practical intervention supporting children and families at a critical developmental stage, and

A system enabler, strengthening partnership practice between HCRG and CFW and contributing directly to Lancashire’s wider GLD ambitions

System intelligence showed that too many children were reaching school age without the core developmental foundations needed to thrive. Practitioners across services were consistently identifying challenges around:

• Speech, language and communication
• Emotional regulation and behaviour
• Independence and self‑care skills, including toileting and dressing
• Sleep routines and readiness for structured learning

These issues were often becoming visible too late, limiting the opportunity for early, preventative support.

At the same time, Lancashire’s GLD stands at 64.5%, significantly below both the national ambition of 75% and Lancashire’s own target of 73.4%. Closing this gap requires earlier, more joined‑up action with families, particularly in the year before children enter reception.

The 3–3½ year window was identified as a crucial opportunity to:

• Strengthen partnership working between HCRG and CFW
• Increase the number of children and families reached
• Identify needs earlier and connect families into support sooner
• Contribute meaningfully to improved school readiness and GLD outcomes

The programme was intentionally designed to bring HCRG and Children and Family Wellbeing (CFW) together around a shared purpose, rather than operating in parallel.

A joint task‑and‑finish group was established, bringing together practitioners and managers from both services to co‑design the offer. This collaborative approach enabled:

• A shared understanding of school readiness and GLD priorities
• Clear alignment with Best Start in Life governance
• Open communication and joint problem‑solving
• Stronger professional relationships and mutual trust

The sessions, held in Family Hubs, provide a face‑to‑face, play‑based, multi‑agency experience, focused on supporting children’s development and preparing families for the transition to school. 

Key features include:

• Support from Health Visitors or Healthy Child Practitioners
• Structured play activities that support observation of fine motor skills, communication, independence and confidence
• Practical opportunities for children to practise dressing, mark‑making and early self‑care skills
• Clear, accessible conversations with parents about school readiness, routines and development
• Space for concerns to be raised early and support to be identified without stigma

Alongside the session, families receive a home learning pack, reinforcing key messages and supporting continued learning and routine‑building at home.

By delivering the sessions of the programme together, practitioners would be able to share observations in real time, align messages to families, and coordinate next steps more effectively. We have seen that this has strengthened referral pathways, reduced duplication, and ensured families experience a coherent, joined‑up offer rather than separate service contacts.

A significant strength of the model is its scale and reach.

By aligning HCRG and CFW activity through Family Hubs, the programme is now bringing an additional 2,000 children into contact every month at a critical stage in their development. This represents a substantial increase in system reach and creates earlier opportunities to influence outcomes for children who may otherwise not access support.

Early impact includes:

• Increased engagement from families with universal and emerging needs
• Earlier identification of developmental concerns, including speech, language and SEND
• Improved family understanding of school readiness and how to support learning at home
• Stronger joint working between HCRG and CFW, leading to smoother referrals and clearer pathways

Collectively, this is strengthening Lancashire’s preventative offer and contributing directly to efforts to improve school readiness and GLD.

Key learning includes:

• Working together improves both reach and quality and families respond positively to a joined‑up offer
• Play‑based, informal environments increase engagement and trust
• Real time information sharing between practitioners improves early identification and follow‑up
• Consistency of messaging across services helps families feel confident and supported

Six‑monthly reviews, ensure learning is captured and the offer continues to evolve.

As the programme has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that many working families face barriers to attending daytime sessions, despite being highly motivated to engage in their child’s school readiness journey. 

Feedback from families and practitioners indicates that work patterns, shift commitments, and caring responsibilities can limit attendance during standard hours, creating an unintended access barrier for some households.

To address this, the next phase of development will include the introduction of a dedicated twilight offer, an early evening version of the 3 to 3½ year school readiness contact. This will provide greater flexibility for parents and carers who are unable to attend daytime sessions, ensuring the offer remains inclusive and accessible to a broader range of families. The twilight model will retain the same play‑based, partnership‑led approach, while adapting delivery times to better reflect the realities of family life.

Building on the success of strengthened joint working between HCRG and the Children and Family Wellbeing (CFW) Service, there is also a clear opportunity to widen partnership activity with wider system partners to further support improvements in GLD and school readiness. This could include:

• Extending collaborative approaches to other key developmental or transition points
• Identifying additional partnership opportunities that directly contribute to school readiness and GLD outcomes
• Using shared learning, data and practitioner insight to inform wider system improvement

The programme has demonstrated the value of focused, purposeful partnership working, showing how closer alignment between HCRG and CFW can significantly increase reach, improve early identification, and positively influence outcomes for children and families. The next phase will build on these strong foundations to further support Lancashire’s ambition to improve school readiness and increase the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development.