Pelsall Booklet
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On behalf of Pelsall Sure Start Children’s Centre I would like to welcome you to our celebration and information booklet. We hope it gives you a snap shot of some of our successes and developments since our designation in January 2010. We’ve been providing tailored and specialised communitybased services for young families and their children in Pelsall. Pelsall Children’s Centre is committed to providing families with a supportive and nurturing environment both at the Centre and through outreach opportunities across the area we cover. We have come an incredibly long way and now have an incredibly lively and well utilised Children’s Centre – and yet in some ways we have only just begun! Every day we have the privilege of meeting new families who enjoy our services and welcome our support, and each day brings a new challenge. Our team of experienced family support staff, childcare workers and administration staff, supported by healthcare professionals,
have been providing fun and stimulating services designed to help you and your children grow. Based in a building with a library and a full range of health services we organise fun and stimulating sessions within the Centre and across the three Primary Schools within Pelsall. Our community based start has meant we’ve worked hard to build relationships and establish a presence and we want to build on that as we operate from a purpose built centre. We hope you enjoy this booklet, which gives you all you need to know about the children’s centre services we offer from birth to five years old.
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Team Introduction Our highly trained team of childcare professionals deliver a wide range of services designed to support families and stimulate the inquiring minds of children through a wide range of early year’s experiences following EYFS statutory guidelines. All our services are planned around the five ‘Every Child Matters’ themes… developed by Government in consultation with what children rated as the five most important: ■ Being Healthy ■ Staying Safe ■ Enjoying & Achieving ■ Making a Positive Contribution ■ Achieving Economic Well-Being The team provide a wide variety of services to meet the needs of the families in our community. From Stay and Play sessions to Bumps, Babies & Beyond, to well organised Day Trips to Christmas Party events, and from providing a service at Pelsall Carnival and Christmas Market. We hope we have something for everyone at Pelsall Children’s Centre and within our Outreach. Our primary goal has always been the happiness, wellbeing and
support of the families in our Community Family support workers are available for advice and guidance on a one-to-one basis while also providing home visits and running parenting programmes designed to build skills and confidence. An administration team makes sure the Centre runs smoothly, providing a welcoming environment, co-ordinating events and updating information. They also provide financial management while collecting and monitoring data. We have developed close links with a wide variety of professionals including Family Information Service, Early Years Team, Health Team, Speech & Language Therapists, Home Start, Breastfeeding Support Network, Schools, Extended Schools, Social Care, Childminders, Pre-schools and many more. These integrated working partnerships have and continue to help us support families in a coordinated joined up way. Together we really are helping to make a better future for families in Pelsall.
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New birth home visits All families who have a baby and live within our local area are entitled to register at Pelsall Sure Start Children’s Centre. We receive our New Births’ through the Health Visiting Team, after you have given permission for the Children’s Centre to contact you. A home visit will be organised in the first months after your baby arrives so we can introduce ourselves, we will register you and give you a useful bag with gifts as well as a timetable of our events and groups. Many families are contacted by our team and given the opportunity of a home visit where a member of our team will come along and tell you all about the services in the comfort of your own home.
Baby Ballet Bumps, babies and beyond This Baby Group is based within Leyland Croft, a Community Room within Pelsall. Pelsall Children’s Centre, along with Walsall Housing Group supported the upgrade of this building. This is a great way for you and your baby to get out of the house and meet other new parents. An ideal opportunity to relax, you can sit and chat with other new parents while your baby is safe. Baby group is for babies who are not mobile and under 12 months old. Sessions are designed to stimulate your baby’s early social, emotional and personal development while making sure you get the support you need. Approachable & helpful staff are always happy to listen if parents have any concerns about their children’s well being. Support is available within the group for mums who are breastfeeding. Monday: 10.30am to 12noon – FREE COMING SOON: Antenatal Classes starting September 2012.
Movement to music programme for babies from 6 months. ■ Designed to encourage babies and young children to enjoy the benefits and joys of song and dance ■ Opportunity for babies and young children to express themselves within a fun, safe and caring environment ■ Ballet helps with movement and co-ordination as rattles are used and toes are stretched Pelsall Children’s Centre deliver Baby Ballet along with Walsall Physical Activity Team (NHS). Baby & Walker sessions are a musical playtime with singing, mime, toys and socialising for parent/carer and baby to enjoy together. The sessions are weekly and operate within a 6 week programme across the 18 Children’s Centre in Walsall. Please contact the Centre for further details.
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Weaning: Introducing your child to solid foods ‘By introducing healthy habits right from birth, you can give your baby the building blocks for a healthier and happier future.’ www.nhs.uk/startforlife ■ Promote infant led weaning ■ Healthy eating from the start ■ Encouraging healthy choices for your baby As baby takes that important big step to solid foods, the health visiting team and the Children’s Centre has advice to support you both.
■ Fun and enjoyable ■ Learning rhymes and actions ■ Developing communication skills Your baby can understand language before they learn to speak as you both communicate through gestures, and facial expressions. Your baby’s understanding of language and gross motor skills develop much faster than their ability to speak. Signing is about enhancing, not replacing language. Baby Sign and Baby Sign ’n’ Rhyme sessions are fun and a way of helping develop those skills while meeting other parents and encouraging speech to develop. Baby Sign does not replace or hinder speech development. Contact the Centre for further details.
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Stay and Play ■ Parents and children together ■ Creative and messy activities to become involved in ■ Safe play outdoors ■ Rhymes, music and movement ■ Stories ■ Makaton, baby signing – speech and language development ■ Toilet training ■ Help to prepare children for nursery ■ Healthy snacks Our fully inclusive Stay and Play include parents and children enjoying play together in a high quality learning environment. We have everything from Messy Play to small world, construction and soft play. Stimulating sessions encourage children to make their own choices while exploring, investigating and developing their imaginations. We offer healthy snacks at all our sessions and encourage routine, by using cue cards to help young minds become aware of time. All children, staff and parents encourage each other at tidy up time and develop routines so children are fully prepared for the more formal settings of Nursery and School.
We run our Stay and Play groups on: Tuesday, Minis, St. Michael’s C of E Primary School, rising 2’s year olds, 9-10.30am Wednesday, Pandas, Pelsall Village School Hall, 0-4 year olds, 9-10.30am Thursday, Ryders Play & Stay, Ryders Hayes Academy, 0-4 year olds, 1-2.30pm Friday, Rushall Rabbits, Rushall JMI School, 0-4 year olds, 1.30-3.00pm
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Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP) Our PEEP Learning Together programme contains information, ideas and activities for practitioners to share with parents, to support their babies’ and children’s learning and development. The PEEP programme is designed to raise educational attainment by valuing and building on what parents do to make the most of daily learning opportunities at home. It is underpinned by the ORIM framework, developed by Peter Hannon at the University of Sheffield. This recognises that children benefit from: ■ Opportunities to learn ■ Recognition and valuing of their early efforts and achievements ■ Interaction with adults to talk about what they do and how they feel ■ Modelling by adults of behaviour, attitudes and activities (Hannon P (1995) Literacy, Home and School) Sessions are informal and relaxed and include fun activities and a diary of progress. We are able to access support from Speech and Language Therapists at some of our play & stay sessions, who can offer: ■ Extras support and advice ■ Help you to develop children’s attention, listening, understanding and reasoning skills Dads and granddads are always welcome!! ■ Dads, granddads and partners are encouraged to share in their children’s development at Play and Stay sessions ■ Visits and trips to popular places ■ Special events – Father’s Day ■ Coming soon – Planned events at weekends and in the evenings!
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Family links
Strengthening Families, Strengthening communities ■ 13 week programme of 3 hours each session ■ Meet other parents ■ Information & strategies for bringing up your children ■ Get help to make sure your voice is heard ■ Supports positive behaviour ■ Builds new skills ■ Develops confidence and builds self esteem This 13-week programme for parents is designed to help & support parents with the challenges they face in raising happy and successful children.
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Solihull Approach ■ 10 week programme x 2 hours each session ■ Sensitive & effective parenting ■ Builds on parents existing skills ■ Learning about parent/child relationship Examples of sessions: ■ Tuning into your child’s developmental needs ■ Parent child relationship – having fun together ■ Rhythm of interaction and sleep ■ Self-regulation and Anger Communication
Solution Focused A Positive Relationship with your Child A solution focused approach gets people to look at how they would like to see their preferred future. It then gets them to look at what is going right for them at the moment and explores the small steps needed to continue on this path in order to attain their preferred future. It helps children and young people develop a sense of personal responsibility – they can identify with how, by taking a more positive approach to their life and the choices they make, they can change the direction in which their life may be heading for the better. By getting children and young people to focus on the future and not the past it gives them the opportunity to move forward in the knowledge that our pasts do not have to shape our futures and we can be masters of our own destinies. CONTACT THE CENTRE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
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“As we look forward to moving into the new Pelsall development in the Autumn we do so with confidence and pride on a service that as already begun to enhance its reputation amongst the local community and other service providers.”
Councillor Garry Perry Chairman of the Pelsall Children’s Centre Joint Governing Body.
“The Pelsall Children’s Centre has already had a positive impact locally in reaching out to many young parents and families.”
“Working across all 3 village primary schools the support and intervention provided has ensured the very best start for children and young people and has included such things as parental support, healthy eating, and early learning techniques.” “Creative play is actively encouraged and it is now easier for those finding it difficult to cope with parenthood to access a whole range of support whilst retaining that vital link between the home and community.”
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Family Support Pelsall Children’s Centre aims to help children to have the best possible start in life through supporting their education, health and family activities. We are fortunate to have the support of many of our partner agencies to achieve this aim, and the valuable contributions of parents and carers. Our Family Support Team can offer : ■ Home visits and community work ■ Providing a listening ear ■ Home Safety Advice ■ Targeted support at difficult times ■ Guidance on training opportunities ■ Gaining experience through volunteering ■ Helping and supporting parents back into work Our family support staff understand the challenges and rewards of being a parent and know that it is not always easy. So our flexible support is tailored to meet your family’s particular needs. You don’t have to be in crisis – it is better if we can support you at an early stage. We provide one-to-one sessions, advice at home or as part of a group. It can be as formal or informal as you want. You may be feeling isolated, unsure, facing short or long term issues and could do with help coping and rebuilding your confidence. We can sign post you to support services on a variety issues including domestic abuse, money management and even employment advice.
Advisory Board Parents, Professionals and Community Representatives come together for Advisory Board meetings to discuss Centre Services and to review how our activities are working. It is an opportunity to think of new ideas to ensure the centre continues to improve the lives of children and families. Consultation and feedback is important to us so we encourage you to give your views. If you would like to become involved in Centre decision making and shaping services, then let one of the team know.
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Pelsall Children’s Centre High Street, Pelsall, WS3 4LX Tel: 07837 808528