Pelsall Children's Centre Booklet

Pelsall Booklet 23/7/12 14:30 Page 1

On behalf of Pelsall Sure Start Children’s Centre I wouldlike to welcome you to our celebration and informationbooklet. We hope it gives you a snap shot of some ofour successes and developments since our designationin January 2010.

We’ve been providing tailored and specialised community-based services for young families and their children in Pelsall.

Pelsall Children’s Centre is committed to providing familieswith a supportive and nurturing environment both at theCentre and through outreach opportunities across the areawe cover. We have come an incredibly long way and nowhave an incredibly lively and well utilised Children’s Centre –and yet in some ways we have only just begun! Every day wehave the privilege of meeting new families who enjoy ourservices and welcome our support, and each day brings a newchallenge.

Our team of experienced family support staff,childcare workers and administration staff,

supported by healthcare professionals,

have been providing fun andstimulating services designed tohelp you and your childrengrow.

Based in a building with alibrary and a full range ofhealth services we organisefun and stimulating sessionswithin the Centre and acrossthe three Primary Schools withinPelsall.

Our community based start hasmeant we’ve worked hard to buildrelationships and establish a presence andwe want to build on that as we operate from a purpose builtcentre.

We hope you enjoy this booklet, which gives you all youneed to know about the children’s centre services we offerfrom birth to five years old.


Our highly trained team of childcare professionalsdeliver a wide range of services designed tosupport families and stimulate the inquiringminds of children through a wide range ofearly year’s experiences following EYFSstatutory guidelines. All our servicesare planned around the five ‘EveryChild Matters’ themes… developedby Government in consultationwith what children rated as thefive most important:

■ Being Healthy■ Staying Safe■ Enjoying & Achieving■ Making a Positive Contribution■ Achieving Economic

Well-BeingThe team provide a wide variety

of services to meet the needs of thefamilies in our community. From Stayand Play sessions to Bumps, Babies &Beyond, to well organised Day Trips toChristmas Party events, and from providinga service at Pelsall Carnival and ChristmasMarket. We hope we have something foreveryone at Pelsall Children’s Centre and within ourOutreach.

Our primary goal has always been the happiness, wellbeing and

support of the families in our CommunityFamily support workers are available foradvice and guidance on a one-to-one basis

while also providing home visits andrunning parenting programmes

designed to build skills andconfidence.

An administration team makessure the Centre runs smoothly,providing a welcomingenvironment, co-ordinatingevents and updatinginformation. They also providefinancial management whilecollecting and monitoring data.

We have developed close linkswith a wide variety of

professionals including FamilyInformation 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 coordinatedjoined up way. Together we really are helping to make abetter future for families in Pelsall.

Team Introduction


Movement to music programme for babiesfrom 6 months.

■ Designed to encourage babies andyoung children to enjoy the benefitsand joys of song and dance■ Opportunity for babies andyoung children to expressthemselves within a fun, safe andcaring environment

■ Ballet helps with movement andco-ordination as rattles are used and

toes are stretched

Pelsall Children’s Centre deliver Baby Balletalong with Walsall Physical Activity Team

(NHS). Baby & Walker sessions are a musicalplaytime 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.

New birth home visitsAll families who have a baby and live within our local area are entitled to register atPelsall Sure Start Children’s Centre.

We receive our New Births’ through the Health VisitingTeam, 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 introduceourselves, we will register you and give you auseful bag with gifts as well as a timetable ofour events and groups.

Many families are contacted by our team andgiven the opportunity of a home visit where a

member of our team will come along and tell youall about the services in the comfort of your own

home.

This Baby Group is based within Leyland Croft, aCommunity Room within Pelsall.

Pelsall Children’s Centre, along with WalsallHousing Group supported the upgrade of thisbuilding.

This is a great way for you and your baby to getout of the house and meet other new parents. An idealopportunity to relax, you can sit and chat with other newparents while your baby is safe. Baby group is for babies whoare not mobile and under 12 months old. Sessions are designed tostimulate your baby’s early social, emotional and personaldevelopment while making sure you get the support you need.

Approachable & helpful staff are always happy to listen if parentshave any concerns about their children’s well being. Support isavailable within the group for mums who are breastfeeding.

Monday: 10.30am to 12noon – FREE

COMING SOON: Antenatal Classes startingSeptember 2012.

Baby Ballet

Bumps, babiesand beyond


‘By introducing healthy habits right from birth, you can giveyour 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 visitingteam and the Children’s Centre has advice to support you both.

Weaning:Introducing yourchild to solid foods

■ Fun and enjoyable■ Learning rhymes and actions

■ Developing communication skills

Your baby can understand language before theylearn to speak as you both communicate through

gestures, and facial expressions. Your baby’sunderstanding of language and gross motor skillsdevelop 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 meetingother parents and encouraging speech to develop.

Baby Sign does not replace or hinderspeech development.

Contact the Centre for further details.


■ Parents and children together■ Creative and messy activities to becomeinvolved in■ Safe play outdoors■ Rhymes, music and movement■ Stories■ Makaton, baby signing – speech andlanguage development■ Toilet training ■ Help to prepare childrenfor nursery■ Healthy snacks

Our fully inclusive Stay and Playinclude parents and childrenenjoying play together in ahigh quality learningenvironment. We haveeverything from MessyPlay to small world,construction and soft play.

Stimulating sessionsencourage children tomake their own choiceswhile exploring,investigating anddeveloping theirimaginations.

We offer healthy snacksat all our sessions andencourage routine, by using cuecards to help young mindsbecome aware of time.

All children, staff and parentsencourage each other at tidy uptime and develop routines sochildren are fully prepared forthe more formal settings ofNursery and School.

Stay and Play

We run our Stayand Play groups on:

Tuesday, Minis, St. Michael’s C of EPrimary School, rising 2’s year olds,

9-10.30am

Wednesday, Pandas, Pelsall VillageSchool Hall, 0-4 year olds, 9-10.30am

Thursday, Ryders Play & Stay, Ryders HayesAcademy, 0-4 year olds, 1-2.30pm

Friday, Rushall Rabbits, RushallJMI School, 0-4 year olds,

1.30-3.00pm


Our PEEP Learning Together programme contains information,ideas and activities for practitioners to share with parents, tosupport their babies’ and children’s learning and development.

The PEEP programme is designed to raise educationalattainment by valuing and building on what parents do tomake the most of daily learning opportunities at home. It is underpinned by the ORIM framework, developed by PeterHannon at the University of Sheffield.

This recognises that children benefit from:■ Opportunities to learn■ Recognition and valuing of their early efforts andachievements■ Interaction with adults to talk about what they do andhow they feel■ Modelling by adults of behaviour, attitudes andactivities(Hannon P (1995) Literacy, Home and School)

Sessions are informal and relaxed and include funactivities and a diary of progress.

We are able to access support from Speechand Language Therapists at some of our play

& stay sessions, who can offer:■ Extras support and advice

■ Help you to develop children’sattention, listening, understanding and

reasoning skills

Dads and granddads are always welcome!!

■ Dads, granddads and partners are encouraged toshare in their children’s development at Play andStay sessions■ Visits and trips to popular places■ Special events – Father’s Day■ Coming soon – Planned events at weekendsand in the evenings!

Parents Early EducationPartnership (PEEP)


Family links

■ 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 happyand successful children.

StrengtheningFamilies, Strengtheningcommunities


■ 10 week programme x 2hours each session■ Sensitive & effectiveparenting■ Builds on parents existing skills■ Learning about parent/childrelationship

Examples of sessions:■ Tuning into your child’sdevelopmental needs ■ Parent child relationship – having funtogether ■ Rhythm of interaction and sleep ■ Self-regulation and Anger Communication

A Positive Relationship with your Child

A solution focused approach gets people to look at how they would like to see their preferredfuture. It then gets them to look at what is going right for them at the moment and explores thesmall 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 identifywith how, by taking a more positive approach to their life and the choices they make, they can changethe 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 nothave to shape our futures and we can bemasters of our own destinies.

CONTACT THE CENTRE FORFURTHER INFORMATION

SolihullApproach

Solution Focused


Councillor Garry PerryChairman of the Pelsall Children’s

Centre Joint Governing Body.

“The PelsallChildren’s Centre hasalready had a positive

impact locally inreaching out to many

young parents andfamilies.”

“Working across all3 village primary schools

the support and interventionprovided has ensured the very

best start for children and youngpeople and has included suchthings as parental support,healthy eating, and early

learning techniques.”

“As we look forwardto moving into the new

Pelsall development in theAutumn we do so with

confidence and pride on aservice that as already begun

to enhance its reputationamongst the local

community and otherservice providers.” “Creative play is

actively encouragedand it is now easier for

those finding it difficult tocope with parenthood toaccess a whole range ofsupport whilst retainingthat vital link between

the home andcommunity.”


Pelsall Children’s Centre aims to help children to have the best possiblestart in life through supporting their education, health and familyactivities. We are fortunate to have the support of many of our partneragencies to achieve this aim, and the valuable contributions ofparents 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 beinga 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 asformal or informal as you want.

You may be feeling isolated,unsure, facing short or longterm issues and could do

with help coping and rebuilding your confidence.

We can sign post youto support services on avariety issues includingdomestic abuse, moneymanagement and evenemployment advice.

Family Support

Advisory BoardParents, Professionals and Community Representatives cometogether for Advisory Board meetings to discuss CentreServices and to review how our activities are working.

It is an opportunity to think of new ideas to ensure thecentre continues to improve the lives of children and families.

Consultation and feedback is important to us so weencourage you to give your views.

If you would like to become involved in Centre decisionmaking and shaping services, then let one of the team know.


Pelsall Children’s CentreHigh Street, Pelsall,WS3 4LXTel: 07837 808528


Documents

Pelsall Children's Centre Booklet