essex county council tlc

Stakeholder Perception Research

ACADEMIC & EDUCATION

About The Client

Essex County Council partnered with Mackman Research to evaluate and improve its Talk, Listen, and Cuddle (TLC) campaign. Aimed at supporting families, carers, and early years practitioners, TLC promotes communication and playful learning for children aged 0–5. With a need to refine the campaign’s digital presence and deepen its engagement with users, ECC commissioned Mackman to carry out inclusive stakeholder research across Essex.

TLC is a long-standing initiative from Essex County Council that helps families give young children the best start in life. Delivered through digital content and physical resources, TLC provides activity ideas, milestone guidance, and support tools for parents and early years professionals across the region.

Table of Contents

Business Market Research

Mackman Research was tasked with assessing the effectiveness of the TLC campaign’s current communication channels, including its website and Facebook presence. The goal was to deliver actionable insights into how the platform could better serve its core audiences—parents, carers, early years practitioners (EYPs), and key stakeholders—while improving overall accessibility and impact.

Customer Feedback Survey Results

All participants across the three core groups—parents and carers, early years practitioners, and key stakeholders—engaged in the research through a combination of online surveys and digital focus groups. In total, 67 individuals contributed, including 55 parents and carers, six practitioners, and six stakeholders. The resulting dataset provided a robust foundation for identifying strengths, gaps, and future opportunities for the TLC platform.

The research surfaced consistent themes around accessibility, engagement, and relevance—pointing to a need for clearer signposting, more inclusive resources, and a practitioner hub. These findings have already informed ECC’s next steps in strengthening their digital offering and enhancing TLC’s reach across Essex’s early years community.

Brand Facts

Essex County Council launched the Talk, Listen, Cuddle (TLC) campaign to support early childhood development across the county.
The campaign encourages parents and carers to engage in simple, everyday activities – talking, listening, and cuddling – to boost language and emotional development in under-fives.
TLC is grounded in research showing that positive early interactions help build strong foundations for learning, confidence, and wellbeing.
The initiative uses clear, accessible messaging to reach families from all backgrounds, with materials available in multiple formats and languages.
ECC collaborates with early years professionals, schools, libraries, and health services to promote TLC throughout local communities.
The campaign has featured across digital platforms, outdoor advertising, and printed materials, creating a consistent and reassuring message for parents.
TLC forms part of ECC’s wider commitment to improving school readiness and reducing inequalities in speech, language, and communication.

Client Testimonial

“The research that Mackman Research conducted with our stakeholders has made a huge difference. It has helped us rethink our approach, ensuring we’re meeting the needs of families and practitioners. The Mackman Research team has been instrumental in this journey, holding our hand every step of the way. We would definitely recommend them.” – Essex County Council Representative

Research Aims & Objectives

The research aimed to evaluate how well the TLC campaign was serving its audiences and to identify practical steps for improving engagement, usability, and access to support. Essex County Council wanted to understand the preferences and concerns of parents, carers, and professionals, and ensure TLC offered appropriate resources that aligned with the diverse needs of the community, particularly in relation to speech and language development and special educational needs.

Research Design & Methodology

A flexible and inclusive research design was adopted to reflect the varied needs of the TLC audience. Mackman Research combined online surveys and digital focus groups to gather insight from parents, carers, early years practitioners, and key stakeholders across Essex. Despite delays caused by the school holiday period, the team adapted quickly to secure meaningful participation. This approach ensured that a broad range of voices were heard, including those facing digital exclusion.

Customer Feedback Survey Outcomes

The research revealed several strengths and opportunities within the TLC platform. As a result of the findings, Mackman Research delivered tailored recommendations to Essex County Council to improve the TLC website, strengthen communication with stakeholders, and refine content delivery. These recommendations provided a strategic roadmap for TLC’s development, helping ECC to better support families, improve user experience, and ensure inclusivity in early years resources.