Minister for Children and Families praises innovative children’s social care in the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire

Josh MacAlister MP, Minister for Children and Families, visited the Liverpool City Region last week and praised how local partners are working together to transform social care and give children and young people the best start in life. 

The Minister spent the day meeting local leaders to learn more about how the region is putting lived experience at the heart of public services and redesigning care around the lives of the children and young people.  

During his visit, the Minister met with Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, Leader of Sefton Council and the Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Cllr Marion Atkinson, and a group of senior leaders working across children’s and family services.  

They explored how the region is moving away from traditional, fragmented models of care for children and young people and the role of organisations like We are Juno – a network of not-for-profit residential care homes for children that’s providing a sustainable alternative to the profit-driven children’s residential landscape. 

Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children and Families, said: 

“Initiatives like We Are Juno demonstrate some of the innovations we want to see in children’s social care – local focus, a not-for-profit funding model and delivering loving homes to help give children the best possible start in life.  

It was inspiring to see how people and organisations across Liverpool and beyond are working together to put direct experience at the heart of the system to deliver opportunity and better life chances for children in care.”  

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:  

“Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a safe, secure home where they feel loved and supported. Too often, for children in care, that stability is disrupted at the very moment they need it most. 

As Mayor, I’m determined to change that by making sure young people can stay close to their communities, their schools and their friends, rather than being moved miles away from everything familiar. 

By working with Juno and our local authority partners, we’ve built a new kind of children’s residential care – one that puts children first, not profit, and is designed around what they need to thrive. 

With the backing of government, regions like ours can invest in innovative, life-changing projects that give our most vulnerable children the stability, care and opportunity they deserve.” 

Sophie Clarke, Managing Director at We Are Juno, said:  

“It was great to share the Juno story with the Minister. At Juno, our work is grounded in the reality of how tough life can be for some children and young people in the region.  

Juno was an idea created with care-experienced young people. It’s grown into a network of safe, loving and local homes for children that’s focused on the lives of the children we care for, not profit. The Minister was really interested in our plans for Juno and transforming opportunities for even more children who are growing up in care.” 

Chris Catterall, Chief Executive at Capacity, said:  

“We were pleased to host the Minister’s visit and highlight the transformational work taking place in the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire. The Minister and his team saw what we see every day – partnerships and collaboration between local government, health, the combined authority, and the voluntary sector that are deeper and better aligned than ever. 

The Minister challenged us to be bold and build on the work already happening to rethink public services, so they work better for children, young people and families for the long term.”