Hertfordshire Healthy Children’s Centre Programme · health champion has been proactive in...

Hertfordshire Healthy Children’s Centre Programme

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Summary of good practice


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Executive Summary

The Hertfordshire Healthy Children's Centre Programme was refreshed and

relaunched in September 2015, to all children’s centres in Hertfordshire. The overall

aim of the programme has been to make a positive difference to the health and

wellbeing of young children (from birth to five) and their families by supporting the

integration of services, and promoting consistency of messages. The programme

relies on strong partnership working from a range of services that work with children

and families including: health visitors, maternity services, GPs, early years providers,

community and voluntary services, and district and borough councils.

Children’s centre groups in Hertfordshire have been working towards their Healthy

Children’s Centre accreditation through completing an extensive audit process and

undertaking a recognition visit for quality assurance. The achievements and

innovation of children’s centre groups has been exemplary, and this document aims

to share the highlights from the Healthy Children’s Centre Programme.


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Standard 1: Healthy Weight; Healthy Lives

WATFORD SOUTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The Tea Stop runs every Friday afternoon and is open to perinatal families. It is a low key support session without a set agenda. As well as being a universal service open to all, families are signposted to this group from health visitors and the perinatal wellbeing practitioners in our area. The group is promoted at the Welcoming Baby workshops which are offered to prospective parents from week 20 of their pregnancy. The aim of the Tea Stop is to promote peer support during the last few weeks of pregnancy through the first weeks of becoming a new parent as well as support from professionals. The team also offers support including mental wellbeing and breastfeeding. The session is a small and friendly group that allows parents to talk through their worries before they become issues. Friendships are formed and families feel able to move on to the bigger sessions such as the under ones group.

WELWYN GARDEN CITY CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Grow with the group bags have been developed by staff with a focus on the under ones. The bags are given to antenatal parents near their due date who attend a five week course. The course has been designed by staff at the group, and staff have also completed mental health training so that they can have informal conversations with parents about mental wellbeing. This is an effective way to embed key health messages and register parents at the children’s centre during the antenatal period.

HERTFORD AND VILLAGES CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Healthy eating is promoted through the Baking Beanes course, which has been developed by children’s centre staff. The course is continually evolving through ongoing evaluation. Sessions include key health messages with fun learning activities for children and adults including information on food label reading including sugar and salt, good and bad fats, portion size, fussy eaters, physical activity, cooking and tasting activities. Baking bags are provided with recipes and resources so that families can repeat cooking activities at home. Around 12 families attend each session, and staff have


HERTFORD AND VILLAGES CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP


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also trained pre-schools and other local children’s centre groups to deliver the Baking Beanes course. Families have reported positive impact on children who were previously fussy eaters as well as improved healthy lifestyles for all who attend.

STORT VALLEY AND VILLAGES CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

A nutritionist has been commissioned by the children’s centre group to promote healthy eating and deliver a range of sessions to parents. The nutritionist attends two stay and play sessions, with a planned focus for each month. Within the session a cooking activity is offered for parents and children to access together, and this is used as an opportunity to promote healthy eating messages. Parents are provided with menu planners, recipes, information on portion sizes, and reviewing food labels. Topics have included promotion of dental health, fussy eaters, and talks on sugar and salt content of food. Staff reported that this method of promoting the messages has had positive impact, and parents have been very engaged. Visual aids and photographs are also used to engage parents with English as an additional language. Feedback shows that 91 per cent of parents state they have made a least one healthy change to the foods they eat.

DACORUM RURAL CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Supper and stories sessions are a targeted group focussed on those children eligible for free early education. Target families are invited to make a healthy meal and eat it alongside story sessions. Parents state they have used ideas from supper and stories sessions, and have followed the recipes at home. The sessions provide an opportunity for staff to promote all key health messages and includes sessions on sugar in foods, increasing physical activity and oral health. Staff gave examples of changes parents have made for example using natural yoghurt rather than yoghurts high in sugar, and children trying different foods at home.

THREE RIVERS WEST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Partnership working with a voluntary organisation has been effective in providing targeted one to one support for some families. Work with families has included providing financial advice and support alongside developing skills in budgeting for food. The centre group also works closely with the local foodbank to provide support to local families.



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Standard 2: Improving Oral Health


Staff at Welwyn Garden City Children’s Centre group worked in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield District Council to produce sixteen sugar boards which highlight sugar content in food and drink. The children’s centre group has been proactively sharing the boards they produced, with early years settings and dental practices. This has facilitated relationships with dental practices who reported that this has been a positive way to engage parents in conversations about their child’s oral health.

STEVENAGE SOUTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Families are provided with information on dentists through packs which include a list of local dentists, registration forms, and accessibility information. Staff members support families to make initial appointments. Dental registration forms can also be completed at the centres which has helped children and families to register with a local dentist.

WARE CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

A local dentist came to a session at Ware Children’s Centre group to give oral health advice to parents. The session included a focus on healthy diets, brushing teeth, visiting the dentist and highlighting the effect of juice in bottles. A display was developed to show the amount of sugar in snacks and drinks, staff reported the positive impact of this with many parents being shocked. Healthier snack options were also shared, alongside photos of children with dental decay.

Standard 3: Improving Mental Health and Emotional wellbeing

HATFIELD CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Staff at Hatfield Children’s Centre group offer visits to parents to listen to their needs and help coach them to access appropriate support.



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ST ALBANS EAST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Now into its fourth year, St Albans East Children’s Centre staff are working with Watford Women’s Centre to co-deliver a domestic abuse awareness and personal development programme run over 10 sessions and funded by the Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning service (HAFLs). A crèche facility is provided. One woman quoted, ‘I have learnt more from this course than I ever felt possible’, and how she has been able to, ‘change my way of thinking completely, take care of myself more and aware of abusive personalities.’ The centre also has good links with the local refuge to ensure families who are most vulnerable are able to access the course.

ST ALBANS WEST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The children’s centre group offers two target sessions for postnatal parents New Born Nurture (birth to five months) and Baby Sing and Play (5 – 12 months). These sessions include professionals talking to parents about postnatal depression, and staff have also developed a song booklet for parents to continue singing at home.

ST ALBANS SOUTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Targeted planning is used to support individual children’s development and progress at St Albans South Children’s Centre. Learning journals are created for individual children which include comments from parents and activity ideas to support the children’s development at home. Staff report that the use of targeted planning improves children’s pace of development.

LETCHWORTH AND BALDOCK CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The Early Days course is provided for parents who have a very young baby. It is a four week course and includes topics around health, immunisation, weighing baby, sleep support and equipment. Staff talk about My Baby’s Brain, tummy time, and sensory baskets. Friendship groups have been developed, and parents now feel confident to access the bigger universal groups.


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Standard 4: Improving Sexual Health

LEAVESDEN AND THE LANGLEYS CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The promotion of sexual health services and contraception is championed by a key member of staff at Leavesden and the Langleys. The champion is proactive in developing links with the sexual health clinics. Photos of the clinics are displayed in the toilet to enable parents to easily recognise the clinic, and tear off information slips. Staff feel confident to help and support parents and give basic information, and the sexual health champion has been proactive in identifying relevant groups to signpost young parents to.

OXHEY CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Ladybirds is an under 25 group for young parents, including the focus on healthy lifestyles, sharing key health messages, and the promotion of sexual health. The group is normally attended by six - eight families. This session provides parenting skills, encourages family interaction particularly at meal times, and provides cookery and gardening skills. Staff shared a tracker to demonstrate how the group is working well.

ROYSTON AND BUNTINGFORD CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Information on sexual health services is displayed at all sites and staff have developed a spot light spider gram showing the range of support and services available in the local area. This is also a useful for tool for staff to use to signpost parents to appropriate support.

Standard 5: Reducing Alcohol and Substance Misuse

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD EAST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Outreach staff do provide support for parents with drug and/or alcohol addiction. Staff work with families where the parents are receiving support from Spectrum CGL. Staff from CGL worked with the children’s centre group to ensure they are

LEAVESDEN AND THE LANGLEYS CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP


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aware of the potential risks of working with families. Outreach staff share appropriate information with other professionals involved, and have developed links to ensure information is shared where concerns are identified on home visits. Staff who have received training pass on their skills and knowledge to children’s centre staff through team meetings and using quizzes.

WELWYN AND KNEBWORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Welwyn and Knebworth Children’s Centre group staff agreed to take part in dry January this year to become role models for the families they work with. Basic information is shared at sessions to remind parents of how to store drugs safely for example ensuring children cannot access over the counter drugs from parents bags.

Standard 6: Tobacco Control


The tobacco control champion at Stort Valley and Villages Children’s Centre group is responsible for promoting key messages and offering support to families who wish to give up smoking. The champion is able to offer support directly to families, and has supported 14 families to quit in the last two years. Any parent who states that they are a smoker on the children’s centre registration form is contacted and offered information on quitting. Support from the children’s centre group includes home visits, the use of a carbon monoxide monitor, and tailored information and advice. At the baby and me sessions discussions include the impact of second hand smoke which parents have reported is useful when encouraging grandparents in particular to quit.

HITCHIN AND RURAL CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Hitchin and rural Children’s Centre group have placed signs on their toy house and cars which state smokefree home and welcome to a smokefree car. This has initiated valuable conversations with families. Staff also have stop smoking resources and inform parents how much money they could potentially save through quitting.

HITCHIN AND RURAL CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP


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BROXBOURNE WEST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The staff smoking champion is proactive in promoting the smokefree agenda through displays and activities, and smoking rates are recorded on Indigo. During campaigns, parents receive information via Facebook and during sessions. The champion for this standard has recently been trained as a level two advisor, and has recruited two more parents to support to give up smoking.

WELWYN AND KNEBWORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Innovative practice has been led by the centre to test out the support in the community for parents wishing to stop smoking. A member of staff acted as a secret shopper and tried to access support at both chemists and supermarkets to determine the level and quality of support available. From this activity, staff were able to identify the best place to signpost parents for smoking cessation support.


To promote the smokefree agenda, displays and information are available at children’s centre venues and sessions. Question boards show evidence of parents recording that they would like information to stop smoking. At one group eight parents stated they wanted support to quit smoking. Those parents who requested support were provided with information of the support services and referral routes. Parents who have accessed support to stop smoking are encouraged by the children’s centre group, and their children are supported to create pictures and certificates to give to their parents as recognition of their smokefree journey. F fgyuifti

Standard 7: Increasing Immunisation Rates

WATFORD NORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

An innovative display in the centre provides information to

parents on the immunisation programme, showing the age of

the baby/child and the vaccinations needed at each stage of

development. Information is shared at early years networks

with settings on the programme of immunisations and all

settings gather information on immunisation status of the

WATFORD NORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP



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children on registration forms. Planning for sessions includes

opportunities for children to role play immunisation scenarios


Displays across the children’s centres promote the

immunisation schedule. Staff report some challenges with the

traveller community in the uptake of the MMR vaccine, and

staff are working with the health visiting team to promote the

importance of this vaccine.

Standard 8: Child, Family and Centre Safety


A display at each of the centres in the Three Rivers West Children’s Centre group demonstrates a variety of safety risks within each room of the home. The keep your baby safe booklet is offered to all families with under ones at pregnancy clubs, baby massage and baby and movers groups.

STEVENAGE NORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Partnership working with local general practitioners (GPs) has been enhanced with the inclusion of the children centre as a key part of the induction for new GPs at one surgery. This is helping to increase GPs knowledge of the role of the children’s centre group and services offered, which in the longer term will support referrals to the children’s centre. It is hoped that this can be extended to the other five surgeries in the group.

HERTSMERE EAST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Training on child safety in the home delivered by Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) has been accessed by four members of staff at Hertsmere East Children’s Centre. This has helped to support the development of home safety checks which are offered to target families. Checks have been completed for seven families, and case studies demonstrated their evidence of impact. Parents state that the checks and equipment have helped to make their home safer for their children.



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Supporting vulnerable families

BROXBOURNE WEST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The terrific toddler half termly session engages families eligible for free early education by providing an opportunity to share key health messages and offering other relevant support in partnership with a range of partners. The terrific toddler sessions promotes key child development including: speech and language, home safety, oral health, healthy lifestyles and stop smoking advice. Parents have the opportunity to talk to a range of professionals who provide advice and support in an informal environment where children also have the opportunity to play. Staff record what support each parent has received and provide follow up phone calls to evaluate any outcomes achieved.

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD WEST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Staff shared details of the packages of support available for outreach families who are in receipt of one to one support. These packages link directly to the Family Outcome Star areas of life, and are tailored to meet parents’ specific needs. A leaflet giving details of the packages of support is available for professionals.

BUSHEY CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

The terrific twos programme is being offered for those children eligible for two year old funding, and includes information on healthy eating, physical activity, minor ailments and the use of the Bookstart resources. Staff provided all of the parents the childhood illness booklet the contact details of their health visiting teams and invited them the childhood illness sessions. The session will be evaluated and reviewed and repeated each term to support transition to preschool for the target two year old children.

Gathering data and impact

BROXBOURNE EAST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

BROXBOURNE EAST CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP


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Broxbourne East Children’s Centre group have devised the Family Footprints tool as a way to recognise outputs and outcomes. They have a monthly theme which is promoted each month. A statement of questions is used throughout the month to gather evidence of impact from families. At the end of each month, a Family Footprints document is produced, pulling together key messages, outcomes and the parents and children’s voice. There are four overall Family Footprint files: healthy lifestyles, keeping safe, being healthy, ready to learn.

HATFIELD CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Planning for children’s centre sessions highlights good practice in recording the aims of the session, monitoring progress and next steps for individuals and groups. This easy to use system ensures staff can easily monitor progress and identify the aim of the group. Planning can be used again to support future sessions.

STEVENAGE NORTH CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Staff at Stevenage North Children’s Centre group keep a

record of the health topics which are raised during activity

sessions. Reflection on these records helps staff to identify the

topics which are not being discussed, which can be

incorporated into the following term’s planning, and helps to

address any gaps in information available for families.

Parent voice and engagement


Within the toilet area at Ash Valley Children’s Centre group, a parent voice comment board is provided where parents can write comments and feedback in private.

HARPENDEN AND RURAL CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Impact statements, data and feedback are included on displays which promote courses being run by the children’s centre. This enables parents to recognise the value of sessions and see how others have increased their skills and knowledge through attending the various courses.

HARPENDEN AND RURAL CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP



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HODDESDON CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

A comprehensive range of information is available on the children’s centre group website, which links to each standard and signposts parents to relevant support. This is easy to use and helps to embed both the key health messages and the Healthy Children’s Centre Programme standards.

BOREHAMWOOD CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

Journals are completed for all sessions as a record to be shared with parents. These include photos of activities and sessions, and a summary of the main learning objectives and messages shared. Planning for the following week’s activities are also shared with parents.

BOREHAMWOOD CHILDREN’S CENTRE GROUP

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