Important Notice
Results Highlights
184 people responded in total and 89% said they used the centre
Of those, 127 people have children aged 0-2 and 81 have children aged 3-5
27 people didn’t say
66% of those who answered lived in HR7 postcode area
Of the 178 respondents who answered question 4 about what services they access, the majority attend the groups offered (clinics, stay and play, parent and toddler groups, midwifery appointments and nursery provision) with the lowest response being Speech & Language support
84% of respondents who answered question 5 about their preferred venue said that the services should be delivered from a children’s centre and 54 people specifically mentioned the Hope Centre
Response from the Hope Centre
Firstly we would like to thank everyone who took the time to take part in this consultation. It is important that the council know what those who use a service think so that they can come to an informed decision and one that reflects that the needs of the community.
We welcome all comments, positive and critical, as it helps us understand the local need, where to focus potential new activities and how to ensure the voice of the local community is heard. Being the Children’s Centre in Bromyard is important to us and we are proud that we consistently meet the targets and outcomes that the council use to evaluate our performance. We are told by the council that our delivery model is a successful one that works very well and we are aware that we offer a much needed service in the rural community.
We were of course extremely pleased to see that the majority of comments were really positive and highlighted things like the quality of the support we offer, the friendliness of the staff and how helpful they find the centre. This is really rewarding to know and we are very grateful.
What happens next?
Bromyard Children’s Centre services will continue to be delivered by us until March 2018. In order to decide what will happen after March 2018 a report will be written making recommendations to Herefordshire Council Cabinet which will be presented and voted on at a meeting. This Cabinet meeting was due to be on November 16th but has been postponed and so we are waiting for a new date. Members of the public can attend the meeting and I will be attending and so will the Chair of our Trustees. It will be an important decision that affects us whatever the outcome.
We are aware of the enormous pressure the Cabinet and Council will be under to reduce costs and cut services and as is already evident from the reductions in the other children’s centres, services and funding are being dramatically reduced. Julia Stephens, Children’s Centres Services Lead, will be write the report on behalf of the Council. The council Cabinet will vote on the report and its recommendations in order to decide if it will continue to commission someone to deliver the service on their behalf (like we do at the moment – a commissioned service) or whether they will do something different (move the service in house for example). We will of course keep you informed and advise you when we have any news. There is always an opportunity to ask questions at the Cabinet meeting should any of you wish to do so. Please see the council website for further information.
Below is specific information in response to comments about specific elements of service delivery
Parenting programmes: We currently run Parents with Prospects at the Centre that is a parenting programme that runs across the academic year. This course promotes confidence in parenting and looks at key areas such as children’s behaviour, learning and communication. On completion of the course attendees can gain a childcare qualification that can often support with getting back in to work/further education. We are committed to supporting this course to continue running at the centre and we support by running a crèche alongside the sessions.
Other Parenting Programmes across Herefordshire are run by the council’s Early Help team and are delivered in specific areas on a community need basis. It is their view that there is not enough need for this provision in the Bromyard area and so families are signposted to groups that are running across other areas in Herefordshire. This, however, will be reviewed on a regular basis by Hereford County Council.
As a Children’s Centre supporting parents/carers of children aged 0-5 we have a team of trained and experienced professionals who support families who feel that they need support with their children’s behaviour. Trained in various parenting programmes (Family Links, Triple P and the Solihull approach) our preferred method of delivery at present is to deliver parenting programmes on a one to one basis. Families are often referred to us by other agencies for support but we also accept self-referrals from families. It is easy to self-refer for support by filling out a self-referral form or by making contact with us in person or via email/telephone/social media.
Breastfeeding: As a centre we welcome breastfeeding parents. Our Family Support workers are trained in breastfeeding awareness and this enables us as a team to understand and identify when extra support and advice may be needed. Of course the knowledge and experience in the team also means that support and advice is readily on hand at the centre too. Our strong links with Health (through midwives and health visitors) ensure that any family requiring support in this area need only get in touch and we will ensure the right help and support is accessed. Many families who access us are breastfeeding and their questions/queries can often be dealt with at the Centre. As mentioned, we work closely with health professionals including Community Midwifes and Health visitors and can signpost families for additional support if required. The local Community Nursery Nurse can also work closely with breastfeeding mums if additional guidance and support is needed.
Speech and Language: It is well known that the provision of speech and language support is under pressure. We do our best to offer early help and identify any needs a child might have and either offer support or make an appropriate referral. Within our Early Years department we offer: an onsite qualified practitioner who works in our Early Years department as well other additional support: Baby talk; Talk Boost and Sign-a-long. We also have a blend of groups that focus on music and communication in the various age groups to focus on developing language and speech.
For other children accessing the Centre we can offer a variety of support and early help and advice and guidance for families who request it. Further information is available from reception or by emailing info@hopefamilycentre.org.
More groups; longer nursery hours; extended café opening hours; more accessible provision for disabled and deaf families: Each term we review the group timetable and in the last couple of months we have introduced two new groups to the timetable just recently – Bounce and Rhyme in the town centre at Halo Leisure on Fridays and a new Stay, Play and Learn group on Monday afternoons at the Hope Centre. Take up of these groups has been encouraging and we are pleased to see many new families attending. We continue to offer a variety of other groups directed at all ages including Sensory Stars using the Sensory Room and also the permanent Soft Play upstairs in the Café on a daily basis.
Our onsite Early Years provision opens at 8am and shuts at 5.30pm. Although we do not currently have any other request to open longer hours we have made this our question of the month for EY Parents.
We are proud to have a centre that is accessible to all and we like to make everyone welcome. We have noted that a couple of requests for more provision for deaf and disabled families. This is something that we would like to understand and look at how we might further develop our provision in this area in accordance with demand. Please let us know if you have anything to offer or suggest.
If you would like an opportunity to discuss any of the above or our work and services in general, please ring us on 01885 488495 and ask for Sarah Eardley, CEO or Heidi Mulholland, Family Support Coordinator. We will be introducing a suggestions box that will be in reception for visitors to make comments and we will also be setting up a group for those who would like to be involved and have a say in what happens at the centre. Please contact me for details.
Thank you. Sarah Eardley, CEO.
