About Family Toolbox

Over the last few years, a number of agencies offering support to families in Wirral have been listening to parents and carers to understand the kinds of challenges you’re up against – and lots of it came down to not being able to find the right resources or support at the right time.

Family Toolbox is Wirral’s response. Launched in April 2022, it is available to all Wirral’s parents and carers. It aims to make resources and support more readily available, putting the power right in the hands of families to work out what you want to change, and what steps you want to take to do that.

While the site shows all of the organisations on Wirral that work to support children, young people and families, the Founding Members of the Family Toolbox have committed to making their support free from criteria, assessments, referrals and thresholds, so that you and your family can access support as and when you feel you need it. The Founding Members are: Caritas Shrewsbury, Ferries Families, Foundation Years Trust, Involve North West, Koala North West, Shaftesbury Youth Club and WEB. They have signed up to the Family Toolbox values – so this is what you can expect from these organisations:

• We give tools, not answers. We believe that everyone has skills and strengths, so when people need a helping hand, we see what’s already strong and coach to build up knowledge, skills and confidence. In all our relationships – whether families, communities or colleagues – we always do with, not to.
• We work together. We don’t just work together to get a great result: working together is, in and of itself, a great result. Everything we do is about building positive relationships (professionally and personally), so we put time, effort and commitment into building relationships with one another, being shaped by the perspectives and experiences of those around us.
• We make sure families stay in control. We are removing the language and behaviours of referrals, professional assessments, levels and thresholds so that we can really get to the heart of what’s going on for families, as and when they choose.
• We keep things simple for families. We prioritise people, over systems, processes and procedures. It’s simple to get involved with – we’re joined-up and accessible and we make sure that families can access something that can help them straight away. We speak in simple terms, and talk about asking for help as the way you show you’re a great parent – not a failing one.

Our hope is that this helps families like yours find what you need sooner, meaning things don’t reach crisis point at home. This resource is very much alive and will continue to evolve over the coming months and years. If you have any thoughts about how to make this a better tool for families, we’d love to hear them. Just drop us a message.