Sefton Emotional Health and Wellbeing strategy 2026 - 2030
Forward
We are working together in Sefton to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of all children and young people. When young people struggle with their mental health for a long time, it can affect their future and limit their chances to grow into who they want to be. Recent years have shown how important mental health is.
The pandemic, financial hardship, and the tragic events in Southport in 2024, including violent attacks on asylum hotels, mosques, community centres, and libraries, have deeply affected our communities.
Many things can affect a young person’s mental health. That’s why it’s
everyone’s responsibility to help. In Sefton, we’re building a plan that looks at how we can work together to protect wellbeing and make sure support is available when it’s needed. Waiting too long for help can make things worse and increase the gap between vulnerable young people and their peers.
We want Sefton to be a place where young people feel safe, supported, and able to grow. As they go through different stages of life, we aim to wrap services and opportunities around them. This strategy shows our shared goal: to help children, young people, and their families protect emotional wellbeing and get help early when needed.
To view a PDF version of the strategy, click here...
Mental Wellbeing and Mental Ill Health
Building Emotional Strength in Young People
A Shared Vision for Sefton
Inequalities in Emotional Health and Wellbeing
Context
What Sefton Children and Young People Have Told Us
The Sefton Offer: the THRIVE Model – What our Children and Young People Need, When They need it
The Sections of THRIVE in Sefton
Vision & Priorities
Cross-cutting nature of EHWBB
The emotional health and wellbeing of young people as illustrated throughout this document is affected by and can influence many aspects of growing and thriving in Sefton. To illustrate this, the EHWBB strategy cannot sit in silo and must both influence and be influenced by multiple other strategies and policies at both the local and regional level. They include:
■ Sefton Child Poverty Strategy 2022
■ Sefton Housing Strategy
■ Sefton Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2023-2027
■ Sefton Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2023-2028
■ Sefton 2020-25 Health and Wellbeing Strategy
■ Sefton Corporate Parenting Strategy 2023-2025
■ Education Excellence Strategy for Sefton 2022-2027
■ Joint Commissioning Strategy for SEND 2023-2026
■ All Together Fairer: Our Health and Care Partnership Plan 2024-2029
■ Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Plan for 2024-26 (Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board)
■ All Together Active: Cheshire and Merseyside’s Physical Activity Strategy
■ The Sefton Children and Young People’s Plan
■ Public Health Annual Report 2024
■Sefton Corporate Council Plan 2024 to 2027
When horizon scanning it is hoped that this EHWBB strategy can help inform some upcoming strategies in development. The EHWBB hope to engage with the development of:
■ Sefton Culture Strategy
■ Refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy
■ Early Help Strategy
■ All Age Carers Strategy
The Work Plan
This strategy is not intended to sit on a shelf. It will be supported by the ongoing work of the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Board. Part of this work is a series of “show and tell” workshops where stakeholders from across Sefton come together and discuss what is on offer for our young people in Sefton against each of the THRIVE sections. From these sessions, recommendations are made to explore what is going well, where there may be gaps and where improvements could be made. This is a live document, and the work plans for each THRIVE section will be added below as they become available.
Show and Tell workshop reports
Sefton Children and Young People Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy Show and Tell, July 2025
Getting Advice - Combined agency report.
Highlights:
- Current Strengths
- Wide range of accessible advice channels: digital platforms (Kooth), physical activity programmes (Active Sefton), sexual health services, substance misuse support (Rise Up), education-based interventions, and Early Help hubs.
- Strong partnership working across health, education, and voluntary sectors.
- Evidence-based approaches and trauma-informed practices embedded in several services.
- Positive engagement mechanisms for youth voice and feedback in many services.
- Common Challenges
- Limited awareness among families and professionals about the breadth of local offers.
- Fragmented communication between agencies; lack of a single, easy-to-navigate digital front door.
- Capacity constraints (staffing, funding, physical space) impacting co-location and outreach.
- Gaps in emotional wellbeing messaging in universal programmes (e.g., Active Schools).
- Long waiting times for specialist services and inconsistent consultation processes with young people when services change.
Recommendations & Actions:
1. Improve Visibility and Access
- Develop a centralised, interactive digital platform (linked to BeeBot) for families and professionals to access advice and signposting.
- Create a teen-friendly Thrive Guide summarising local offers for schools, colleges, and youth hubs.
- Use social media and podcasts to share wellbeing advice and promote services.
2. Strengthen Partnership & Workforce Development
- Launch cross-sector training for new staff on Sefton’s Thrive Model and local services.
- Formalise co-location agreements in Family Hubs and colleges to reduce barriers to access.
- Enhance networking events for schools and agencies to share best practice and updates.
3. Embed Emotional Wellbeing Messaging
- Expand Active Schools curriculum to include emotional health content.
- Integrate low-level preventative mental health advice into universal programmes (e.g., Be Active, Early Years).
4. Digital & Innovative Solutions
- Roll out Chat Health and explore peer-led digital advice hubs for young people.
- Develop youth-led podcasts, animations, and online wellness resources to make advice relatable.
5. Amplify Youth Voice
- Formalise consultation processes when significant service changes occur.
- Establish CYP Ambassador Boards and expand use of mystery shoppers and feedback loops.
6. Address Capacity & Equity
- Secure funding for on-site mental health drop-ins and peer mentoring programmes in colleges.
- Explore Wellbeing Navigator roles to guide families through the local offer.
- Improve transport and travel training for young people with SEMH needs
To view the full report, click here Getting Advice
Sefton Children and Young People Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy Show and Tell, October 2025
Getting Help - Combined agency reports
Current Strengths
- Diverse interventions: Evidence-based therapies (CBT, systemic family work), trauma-informed approaches, creative therapies, and group psychoeducation.
- Accessibility: Drop-in sessions, school-based support, and community hubs reduce barriers.
- Strong partnerships: Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings, co-production of provision maps, and collaboration across health, education, and voluntary sectors.
- Workforce development: Training in trauma-informed practice, neurodiversity awareness, and emotional wellbeing.
- Youth voice integration: Participation groups, surveys, and collaborative goal-setting in sessions.
Key Challenges
- Long waiting times for therapeutic interventions.
- Limited physical space for confidential sessions.
- Fragmented referral pathways and lack of a single front door.
- Capacity constraints for evening/weekend support.
- Inconsistent consultation processes for service changes.
- Need for more whole-school approaches and early intervention.
Recommended Actions
1. Reduce Waiting Times & Increase Capacity
- Secure funding for additional therapeutic staff and private spaces.
- Expand drop-in sessions and consider late-night/weekend provision for young people.
2. Improve Navigation & Access
- Develop a single front door for all commissioned Getting Help services with shared triage.
- Create a teen-friendly Thrive Guide and promote via schools, colleges, and social media.
- Enhance digital presence (e.g., online booking, virtual sessions).
3. Strengthen Early Intervention
- Embed emotional wellbeing messaging in universal programmes (Active Schools, Early Years).
- Introduce mental health awareness training for staff across settings to prevent escalation.
4. Enhance Partnership Working
- Formalise co-location agreements in Family Hubs and colleges.
- Continue MDT meetings and expand SEMH surgeries for primary schools.
- Improve referral pathways between MHST, CAMHS, and Early Help.
5. Amplify Youth Voice
- Establish young person shadow boards (e.g., SWAN proposal).
- Formalise consultation processes for significant service changes.
- Use creative methods (arts, journaling, digital media) to capture feedback.
6. Workforce Support & Development
- Expand trauma-informed and neurodiversity training.
- Introduce staff wellbeing initiatives to prevent burnout.
7. Innovative Approaches
- Launch peer mentoring programmes and parent-led behaviour therapy.
- Develop digital resources (apps, podcasts, online wellness hubs).
- Explore social prescribing models for non-clinical support.
To view the full report, click here Getting Help