User Voice Week – Listening to families to shape School-Home Support (SHS) services

Each year we run User Voice Week, a chance to listen to the children and families we work with, understand their experiences, and use their insights to shape how we deliver support.

This ongoing commitment to co-creation ensures our services remain responsive, relevant and rooted in what families need, when they need it most. User Voice Week is a key part of how we deliver our bespoke, whole-family support. 

This year, parents and carers reported high levels of satisfaction with the support provided by SHS, with many highlighting the positive difference practitioners have made to their family circumstances. 

Emotional wellbeing was the area where support showed some of the strongest impact, with 81% of parents and carers reporting improvements on their mental health following support from their practitioner. Confidence also increased significantly, with 86% saying they felt more positive about the year ahead.

Alongside this, our practitioners supported 79% of families to improve their housing situation and 73% to strengthen their financial stability, helping to reduce some of the wider pressures that affect family life.

Family sitting on a sofa - user voice week

 

Online safety: supporting families in a digital world

 

We asked  parents  about their experiences of social media to analyse how we can support children and families with online safety and what support they need to keep children safe.

While the majority of parents and carers reported low levels of concern about their child’s use of social media and online activity, a notable 28% expressed some degree of concern, ranging from moderate to high.

More than a quarter of young people (27%) told us they had experienced something negative on social media. Most said they would turn to their parents for support, underlining the vital role families play in helping children navigate online spaces.

When concerns or negative impacts do arise, families are seeking support from a range of sources, with 40% turning to SHS practitioners for help, alongside friends and family (27%) and schools (13%). 

In response to concerns about usage of social media and how to navigate the online world, we are:

  • Sharing practical online safety guidance with our practitioners so they can support parents, carers and children by spotting early signs of harm or risks from social media or online interactions. 

  • Developing new resources for practitioners to support conversations with families about online safety and what to look out for.

  • Embedding this knowledge into training for all new practitioners so they are ready to support families if the need arises. 

  • Supporting the work of the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies 

 

Supporting families with practical financial support 

 

We asked parents what additional support they would like to see from School-Home Support. Their responses highlighted a clear need for continued and expanded support that helps to address the wider impacts of poverty on family life and children’s education. 

Families spoke positively about the practical support they receive, particularly through our Welfare Fund, Uniform Fund and wider financial assistance that makes a difference to their lives at crucial times. 

In response to requests for more financial support:

  • SHS has continued to strengthen its approach by working in partnership with a wide range of organisations to ensure families can access the right support at the right time. 

  • In 2024/25 alone, 21 Buttle UK grants were secured, totalling £33,023, providing vital support for families in crisis. We thank Buttle for their support.

  • Through our economic wellbeing guidance our practitioners are equipped to refer families to other organisations including food banks, emergency funds, etc. 

  • We provided budgeting advice to help families manage their finances more sustainably and reduce reliance on crisis-based welfare support, strengthening long-term financial resilience.

 

 

What we are hearing from families and children

 

Parents said:

  • “I have been very happy and appreciate everything SHS has done for me and my family. My Practitioner has been amazing and could not have done it without her”

  • “SHS has improved and empowered my life, and I am truly grateful”

  • “the support we have received has been so important to our family…. knowing that no one is giving up on our son”

 

Young people said: 

  • “Miss O.  is amazing and encouraging”

  • “My practitioner is great. I wish I can stay with her long term”

  • “I look forward to seeing Ms A.  everyday, and she is really good at her job”