Parent Advocates: supporting families through child protection
Families in Wirral navigating the Child Protection process now have access to a new kind of support. Parent Advocates offer free, independent support to families whose children are under a Child Protection Plan. With training and first-hand experience, they provide guidance, reassurance and someone to stand alongside families when it matters most.
Understanding, support and experience
Parent Advocates are individuals who have personal experience of the Child Protection process, either with their own children or while supporting their family members. They now use that experience to help other families feel informed, supported and understood. Parent Advocates offer both practical guidance and emotional support, helping families understand what’s happening and what to expect.
What Parent Advocates do
Every family’s experience is different, so the support offered is shaped around each family’s individual needs. The advocates are matched to families based on the level and type of support required. They can:
- Help explain the Child Protection process
- Offer support at Child Protection Conferences and other meetings
- Speak with professionals on behalf of families if needed
- Ensure families’ wishes and feelings are heard
- Provide encouragement and help families identify their strengths
Some families may want regular support throughout the process, while others may simply want someone to talk things through with. The service is flexible and completely led by the family.
Trained to support
While lived experience is at the heart of this service, Parent Advocates also receive rigorous training. They learn about the Child Protection process, legal frameworks, and how to work in a trauma-informed way. This ensures they can provide both accurate information and empathetic support at what can be an emotionally challenging time.
About the Child Protection Plan
A Child Protection Plan is put in place when a child may be at risk of significant harm. The plan sets out the concerns, the steps needed to reduce risks, and the support available to the family. It involves professionals from different services, with the aim of keeping children safe and supporting families to make lasting change.
Parent Advocates help families feel included in this process. They can make it easier to understand what’s happening, help prepare for meetings and ensure the family’s perspective is always part of the conversation.
Part of a new approach in Wirral
This service has been developed as part of the Families First for Children Pathfinder, a national programme that aims to support families earlier and more effectively at the right time.
In Wirral, the Parent Advocacy service is delivered in partnership by Wirral Council, Family Toolbox, and local charity Koala North West.
Meet the Parent Advocates
The people behind the service bring a wealth of lived experience and compassion to their roles. Here are some of their stories:
Zoe
Zoe went through the child protection process with her own child around 10 years ago.
I found it really trauma-inducing because I didn’t know how to navigate it. There was no one there supporting me through the process. I was very angry and didn’t put myself across the right way in the meetings. I think if I had someone there to guide me through it, I would have navigated it differently.
Now a Parent Advocate, Zoe says:
I do this because I don’t want anyone to ever feel the same way I did. I want people to feel empowered.
She also describes how becoming a Parent Advocate has helped her heal from her own experience:
For me, becoming a Parent Advocate has been a healing journey.
Kate
Kate supported her sister through the child protection process about nine years ago.
I recognised that the meetings were very intense. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, and I wasn’t even the person going through the child protection process. There was a gap there that needed to be bridged.
Now in her role as an advocate, she says:
I absolutely love my role. I love helping other people. I love breaking down the system for them, explaining the processes, because there is a gap that needs to be met, and we are bridging that gap now.
Jasmine
Jasmine supported her mum through the child protection process by becoming both an advocate and a caregiver.
I’ve helped my mum for a couple of years by advocating for her. I was with her to ease her anxiety because she felt a bit overwhelmed.
With support from Positivitree, a local charity, Jasmine gained confidence in her ability to support others too.
We were getting some help from Positivitree, and because they advocated for me to be a better role model and better caregiver and helped me with my mental health, I wanted to step out and go and do it myself and help others.
She reflects on the impact:
You get a relationship with the families, and it’s then nice to see them ease. They start really tense and uncomfortable and overwhelmed, but as the process goes on, they start to ease out of it. It’s rewarding to see families come out better.
Get support
If your child is in the Child Protection process and you would like an advocate by your side, you can call the team at 0151 608 8288 or email them at pathfinder@koalanw.co.uk. You can also speak to a child’s social worker to find out more.
