Starting Well description of services

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The Starting Well service delivers support to children, young people and their families/carers across the borough. The service is based mainly in Children’s Centres but also delivers support in families/carers homes and in schools. The Starting Well team includes health visitors, nursery workers, early years workers and public health nurses.

Overall Aim: Children and young people are safe, happy, healthy, resilient and reaching their potential.

Ambition: To deliver a high-quality service for 0 – 19 (25 with SEND) year olds to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young children and their families/carers in Cheshire West and Chester.

Types of service delivery

Children Centres

Children’s centres provide a wide range of services for parents, parents-to-be, and carers with children and their families. Children’s Centres are the main place for the Starting Well team.

Their aim is to deliver or provide access to high quality, accessible services and support for parents, carers, prospective parents, children from pre-birth to 5 years to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities around:

  • Child development and school readiness
  • Child and family health and life chances
  • Parenting skills

Children’s Centres offer a range of activities including advice clinics, play sessions, infant feeding support, sleep support, speech and language therapy, sensory experiences and antenatal clinics.

Healthy Child Programme

The Healthy Child Programme for the 0-5’s focuses on a universal and targeted preventative service, providing all families with a programme of screening, immunisation, health and development reviews, in addition to advice around health, wellbeing and parenting.

For Primary and Secondary School age children, advice around health and wellbeing continues to be delivered to both families/carers and directly to young people.

Health Visitors are specialist public health practitioners who have expertise in child development and family health. All children until 5 years of age have a Health Visitor. They are qualified nurses who have a specialist qualification in community health and have knowledge about adult and child health promotion and education.

They provide tailored and specific support for children and families/carers to promote health and wellbeing.

Health Visitors must deliver 5 developmental reviews:

  • Antenatal
  • new baby
  • 6-8 weeks
  • 1 year
  • integrated 2-2 ½ years

to all families/carers to ensure the right support /advice and guidance is offered to promote a child’s health and development.

School Nurses have additional training that offers individual, family and community support to improve health and wellbeing.

Family Nurse Partnership

Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a free and voluntary programme for young parents expecting their first baby. This service is usually only offered to first time mothers aged 19 and under at conception but here we also deliver FNP to any young person who have been looked after by the local authority. The programme offers home visiting, delivered by specially trained nurses, from early in pregnancy until the child is two years old.

Early Help/Team around the Family

Team Around the Family (TAF) is used to get everyone together who is or could be working with children, young people and their families/carers, where there is an identified need. The support is voluntary and children, families and carers choose if they would like to take part and which professionals should support them. The Starting Well service often begins, leads and supports the TAF process.

Healthy Start Scheme

Parents who are up to 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 in receipt of relevant benefits are eligible to join the Healthy Start scheme. This provides free of charge healthy foods like milk, fruit and vegetables, or vitamins. Starting Well provides support to apply for and access this service.

National Child Measurement Programme

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) measures the height and weight of children in Reception class (aged 4 to 5) and Year 6 (aged 10 to 11). The Starting Well team attend educational settings once a year to conduct the screening and then communicate the outcome to parents/carers.

Oral (Dental) health

Starting Well provide ‘Happy Smiles’ toothbrush packs to some 0 – 2 year olds within Cheshire West and Chester, in addition to delivering oral health promotion, advice and guidance to all.

Digital

Starting Well offer digital support on health and wellbeing issues via Facebook and Chat Health to family/ carers and young people.

Breastfeeding support

Breastfeeding support in Cheshire West and Chester is provided by Koala, who have a team of friendly volunteers (Bosom Buddies) who have breastfed their own children and have received additional training in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding support groups are run from Children’s Centres and there is an offer on hospital wards.

The Starting Well service delivers support to children, young people and their families/carers across the borough. The service is based mainly in Children’s Centres but also delivers support in families/carers homes and in schools. The Starting Well team includes health visitors, nursery workers, early years workers and public health nurses.

Overall Aim: Children and young people are safe, happy, healthy, resilient and reaching their potential.

Ambition: To deliver a high-quality service for 0 – 19 (25 with SEND) year olds to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young children and their families/carers in Cheshire West and Chester.

Types of service delivery

Children Centres

Children’s centres provide a wide range of services for parents, parents-to-be, and carers with children and their families. Children’s Centres are the main place for the Starting Well team.

Their aim is to deliver or provide access to high quality, accessible services and support for parents, carers, prospective parents, children from pre-birth to 5 years to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities around:

  • Child development and school readiness
  • Child and family health and life chances
  • Parenting skills

Children’s Centres offer a range of activities including advice clinics, play sessions, infant feeding support, sleep support, speech and language therapy, sensory experiences and antenatal clinics.

Healthy Child Programme

The Healthy Child Programme for the 0-5’s focuses on a universal and targeted preventative service, providing all families with a programme of screening, immunisation, health and development reviews, in addition to advice around health, wellbeing and parenting.

For Primary and Secondary School age children, advice around health and wellbeing continues to be delivered to both families/carers and directly to young people.

Health Visitors are specialist public health practitioners who have expertise in child development and family health. All children until 5 years of age have a Health Visitor. They are qualified nurses who have a specialist qualification in community health and have knowledge about adult and child health promotion and education.

They provide tailored and specific support for children and families/carers to promote health and wellbeing.

Health Visitors must deliver 5 developmental reviews:

  • Antenatal
  • new baby
  • 6-8 weeks
  • 1 year
  • integrated 2-2 ½ years

to all families/carers to ensure the right support /advice and guidance is offered to promote a child’s health and development.

School Nurses have additional training that offers individual, family and community support to improve health and wellbeing.

Family Nurse Partnership

Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a free and voluntary programme for young parents expecting their first baby. This service is usually only offered to first time mothers aged 19 and under at conception but here we also deliver FNP to any young person who have been looked after by the local authority. The programme offers home visiting, delivered by specially trained nurses, from early in pregnancy until the child is two years old.

Early Help/Team around the Family

Team Around the Family (TAF) is used to get everyone together who is or could be working with children, young people and their families/carers, where there is an identified need. The support is voluntary and children, families and carers choose if they would like to take part and which professionals should support them. The Starting Well service often begins, leads and supports the TAF process.

Healthy Start Scheme

Parents who are up to 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 in receipt of relevant benefits are eligible to join the Healthy Start scheme. This provides free of charge healthy foods like milk, fruit and vegetables, or vitamins. Starting Well provides support to apply for and access this service.

National Child Measurement Programme

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) measures the height and weight of children in Reception class (aged 4 to 5) and Year 6 (aged 10 to 11). The Starting Well team attend educational settings once a year to conduct the screening and then communicate the outcome to parents/carers.

Oral (Dental) health

Starting Well provide ‘Happy Smiles’ toothbrush packs to some 0 – 2 year olds within Cheshire West and Chester, in addition to delivering oral health promotion, advice and guidance to all.

Digital

Starting Well offer digital support on health and wellbeing issues via Facebook and Chat Health to family/ carers and young people.

Breastfeeding support

Breastfeeding support in Cheshire West and Chester is provided by Koala, who have a team of friendly volunteers (Bosom Buddies) who have breastfed their own children and have received additional training in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding support groups are run from Children’s Centres and there is an offer on hospital wards.