06/06/2026
AJ and Friends had the privilege of meeting with Wirral’s Head of Children’s Services at the Birkenhead offices.
The environment was beautiful, the energy was colourful and engaging, and by the time we left, we knew this was not seven years late ⏰ it was right on time.
Thank you to every person who said yes to meeting us. Thank you to those who said yes knowing that change is never easy. It takes brave people to create meaningful and sustainable change for the SEND community, and it takes a village to maintain and grow that change.
AJ and Friends was created for children like AJ, and for the caregivers walking beside them. Our work is about meeting people exactly where they are, accepting the reality of regression, growth and development, and building plans around the whole person.
We measure change differently. Sometimes change is seen in head control built over time. Sometimes it is a behaviour once seen as frustration slowly becoming trust. Sometimes it is a smile, a regulated moment, a new experience, or a brave step into positive challenge.
Our Pillars of Care and our core values have grown from real lives, real families and real need. Our plans are shaped by VIPs who may not speak with words, but who absolutely have a voice. Their siblings, parents, carers and even pets matter in the story too.
We do not ask families to fit into our world. We become part of theirs supporting intimate care, medication, education, social care, regulation and meaningful development with dignity and love.
The smiles in this picture say everything.
Change is coming. It is coming whether systems are ready or not.
Thank you to the brave souls in this picture, and thank you for the impact you are helping to make for families like our little AJ’s. 🧡
