Briefly describe the initiative/ project/service; please include your aims and objectives

Wigan Council and the charity AllChild have developed a transformational way of investing in children’s futures, utilising the best of what already exists in communities. The approach has already shown outstanding outcomes for local children and innovatively draws on both public and philanthropic funding to invest in a radically preventative approach to improve the lives of our children in our borough. As an outcomes-contract, the approach only pays for real impact – meaning practitioners and partners can do ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure every child flourishes.

What are the key achievements?

Lucy is a Year 9 student at Bedford High School in Leigh, in Wigan Borough, with one of the highest rates of young people from low-income families (30% of young people, compared to 21% average) and one of the lowest ‘social trust’ scores nationally (-13%, to -3%). When Lucy joined Year 7, her attendance dropped to 89% and she stopped doing her homework. Lucy flagged as ‘high-risk’ on AllChild’s wellbeing survey (SDQ). In another system, Lucy may not have been noticed until much, much later. Indeed, what we call the ‘Early Help’ system is not normally set up for these kinds of young people – who have multiple, emerging needs, instead of a single crisis-level need. This means that, time and again, young people fail to access the kind of timely, personalised support that can actually address the root causes of their issues and get them on a path to a better future. Meanwhile, those duty-bound to support these young people – schools, local authorities, charities and communities – are bursting at the seams, with the financial pressures associated with ‘late intervention’ getting more unsustainable by the day.

Policymakers have long spoken of how urgently we break the ‘doom loop’ of crisis intervention and find a way to identify hidden needs, support ‘hard to reach’ families, and join-up different systems and sectors to ensure a personalised and relationship-based experience for people who use public services. Together, as part of Wigan Borough’s ‘Progress with Unity’ movement for change, this is what Wigan and AllChild are delivering in Leigh, Atherton & Tyldesley – a new way of investing in children’s futures. Lucy is one of 480 children, young people and families across 13 schools who was identified by the AllChild Wigan partnership. She has built a trusted relationship with her Link Worker – an AllChild member of staff, based full-time in schools and the community, but also part of Early Help – and is now participating in a two-year support plan that has been tailored to her strengths and needs. This plan includes specialist support and positive opportunities delivered by a new and growing partnership of 13 local charities. In a little over a year, Lucy has made incredible progress. Because of the trust she has been with her Link Worker, she shared a past trauma and how some school lessons reminded her of this. The Link Worker opened an Early Help episode, worked with Lucy’s family and school, arranged for Lucy to participate in positive opportunities including ‘Girls Out Loud’ (mentoring sessions), Wigan Athletic (sports), and a week-long therapeutic residential at Jamie’s Farm. Lucy is doing her homework again, her wellbeing scores have improved, and she is no longer persistently absent from school.

Lucy’s progress is mirrored by the rest of the first cohort, who – despite only being halfway through their programme – are already showing remarkable signs of improvement:

• At midpoint, two-thirds of children (at risk in these areas at the start) improved their emotional wellbeing and peer relationships (measured via SDQ).
• 60% of persistently-absent children improved their attendance. 90% of non-persistently absent children (with other risk factors) maintained their attendance.
• No young people were excluded from school during the first year. Of the 67% of secondary-aged young people who were identified as being ‘at risk’ of exclusion, 63% received no suspensions.

These are the “small” changes that in the long-term make a massive difference to young people’s outcomes, and also to the system itself. For example:

• From London data, we know that 12 months after working with AllChild, 91% of children and young people had not engaged with Early Help, social care, or escalated to an EHCP. • An independent consultant estimated that for every £1 invested, this work generates £18 of financial savings and economic value, e.g. reduced demand for higher-tier services and improved lifetime earnings (ATQ 2025).

How Innovative is your initiative?

Wigan and AllChild’s partnership is a radically different preventative model that redefines how we invest in children’s futures. The approach combines three innovative elements: a philanthropic funding arrangement, a pay-by-results mechanism, and deep co-design with communities. This model leverages public, school, and philanthropic investment to unlock prevention at scale. Over half of the funding comes from philanthropy, including major partners such as Bank of America and the National Lottery Communities Fund.

This collective impact funding structure brings together public, private, and third sectors “around the child”, creating a sustainable, joined-up system that strengthens local voluntary organisations while delivering tailored support. By securing corporate and charitable contributions alongside council funding, Wigan has demonstrated how cross-sector collaboration can transform early help provision. Unlike traditional service commissioning, this outcomes-based contract only pays for real impact. Commissioners fund achieved outcomes rather than predefined outputs. This flexibility enables personalised, relationship-based interventions that adapt to emerging needs, breaking the cycle of late intervention.

It also introduces accountability and value for money. The approach was co-produced with schools, families, and the VCFSE sector, resulting in a shared outcomes framework and governance model. Delivery is rooted in community: Link Workers act as trusted adults embedded in schools and neighbourhoods, supported by a growing network of 13 local charities and partners. This joined-up ecosystem ensures interventions are culturally relevant, locally owned, and sustainable. As one partner notes, “Together we are absolutely more than the sum of our parts.” By combining philanthropic investment, outcome-based commissioning, and authentic co-design, Wigan and AllChild have created a model that is both innovative and replicable—a blueprint for prevention-led, community-driven support that delivers measurable impact and long-term system change.

What are the key learning points?

To make this new model of community-based Early Help a reality, Wigan and AllChild developed a number of innovations which other local authorities may find inspiring, in particular:

1. Collective Impact Funding: Wigan committed £480,000 of funding for two cohorts (three years of delivery). This funded 15% of the cost, with another 15% contributed by schools. The remaining funding came from philanthropy, including Bank of America and the National Lottery Communities Fund. As an outcomes-contract, Wigan and Bank of America, the first Corporate commissioner of outcomes in the UK, only pay for outcomes achieved, which means that AllChild and Wigan can do ‘whatever it takes’ for every child. It is not restricted by traditional service outputs and can flex the service as needed.

2. Community Co-Design: Wigan and AllChild spent 12-18 months developing the partnership, engaging with the community, and building a shared outcomes, data, and governance framework. In the words of the Director for Children’s Services Colette Dutton: “Wigan is known for co-production, but this was the strongest co-production we have ever done”.

3. Joined-up Community Support: During co-design, AllChild engaged with schools, young people and the VCSE to identify partners. Nine organisations (now 13) were initially microcommissioned to deliver in-school programmes as part of the support offer, held together by ‘trusted adult’ Link Workers. This partnership is building the capacity of the VCS sector to support long[1]term sustainability. In the words of one local partner: “As a small organisation, having a partner like AllChild and more regular work, has genuinely made us more sustainable… Together we are absolutely more than the sum of our parts”, CEO, Everyday Wigan.

Looking ahead, Wigan/AllChild are now working towards a 10-year ‘plan for place’ to embed and sustain the partnership. In 2026, it is likely to launch in another Wigan area , and another Greater Manchester LA. Wigan/AllChild are particularly interested in how to take the best lessons of the pilot to inform other services as part of Wigan’s aim to become a national leader in community-based, prevention-led provision for young people and families. AllChild is taking Wigan as its ‘case study’ for the upcoming Better Futures Fund, and seeking to build a national movement for this way of working.

AllChild has developed a network of local partners in Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley – connecting charities, companies, and community groups to schools, children, and families who could benefit from the opportunities they provide, and building the capacity of the voluntary sector in the long-term. AllChild aims to use local partners where possible, and fills gaps with regional or national partners where they exist. Over 50% of the partnership is funded by philanthropy, including the National Lottery Community Trust, the Oglesby Charitable Trust, and Bank of America, which has a local office in Chester, and have hosted young people on the programme for experience days. This means that the public, private, and third sectors are all joined up ‘around the child’ (as outcome payments are on an individual-child basis) – with private sector money helping to ‘unlock’ public funds for prevention.

Organisations supporting the AllChild partnership locally include:

1. Thrive Communication Therapy (speech and language, local provider)
2. Family Welfare (counselling, local provider)
3. Girls Out Loud (teen girls’ mentoring programmes, regional provider)
4. The Tutor Trust (academic tutoring, regional provider)
5. Jamie’s Farm (therapeutic farm residentials, national provider)
6. Boxing for Better (boxing, local provider)
7. Wigan Athletic (sports, teamwork and lifeskills, local provider)
8. Spirix Dance (dance, local provider)
9. Leigh Community Trust (sports, teamwork and confidence, local provider)
10. Toni Marie Yoga (yoga and mindfulness, local provider)
11. Everyday Wigan (creative arts, local provider)
12. Commando Joe’s (teamwork and self-discipline, national provider based in Leigh)
13. Rock Steady (music, national provider)

Testimonials on Wigan’s AllChild approach from stakeholders: Martyn Leach, Community Development Manager, Leigh Leopards Foundation: “This partnership is about more than sport. It’s about helping young people feel seen, valued, and capable. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of the children involved, and seeing their confidence grow each week is genuinely inspiring.” Kevin Robinson, Headteacher, Leigh St Peter’s CE Primary School: “This is about making sure the right support is in place for families – and, ultimately, if you get that right you’re not having to spend that money on reactive interventions. Because we’re starting to be more proactive in our approach to addressing the needs of the community.”