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January 2025

Welcome to your January newsletter!

It's still cold outside, but we are looking towards February, and days that are getting a bit longer than they were in the depths of winter! There is lots happening in February, including Valentines Day, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) History Month, and Children's Mental Health Week. All these and more will be marked in different ways across the Bradford District. Read on for a special article about Children's Mental Health Week, and keep looking at the Family Hub timetables to find out about Valentine's Day themed activities! 

Earlier this month we were delighted to welcome around 100 colleagues and stakeholders from organisations across Bradford District to our 'Reflect, Connect, Expect' partnership event. What made the event particularly special was hearing from some of the families that use our partnership's services. It was a fanstastic day of sharing - read more about this below in the section for professionals and practitioners. 

As always, our monthly newsletter is packed with information for families and professionals about the wide range of free support for families, funded by Family Hubs and Start for Life and other trusted organisations. We also include links to our Family Hub timetables and useful pages on the FYI (Families and Young Persons Information) website. Please take a look and share the newsletter with anyone who might find it useful.

Family Experience survey – have your say and win £100!

Survey open to all families who use Bradford District's Family Hubs

Are you a parent or carer - and do you use Family Hubs in the Bradford District?

If yes, please take part in a short survey to be in with a chance of winning a £100 shopping voucher!

The survey is for families with children of all ages, from 0 to 19 (or 25 with special educational needs or disabilities).

To fill in the survey, you should have used a service, or attended an activity, at (or connected with) the Bradford District’s family hubs.

You can complete this survey anonymously and in complete confidence.

Please share your views and experiences of the family hubs support and activities, to help show what helps you, and what could be better, for families like yours.

Your feedback will help national research about the Family Hubs across the country.

Simply complete the survey before 31 March. Follow the link: Family Experience - parent carer survey.

Children's Mental Health Week, 3 to 9 February 2025

Children's Mental Health Week is promoted annually to bring a focus to children’s mental health.

This year's theme is 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself', a reminder of how important it is to be able to express our feelings and emotions.

Place2Be, the charity that promotes Children's Mental Health Week, said: "When we take notice of ourselves and how we feel, we are able to make better choices and be more connected with our feelings and behaviours."

Here in the Bradford District, we support children's mental health all year round and we also have lots going on throughout February to promote and celebrate Children's Mental Health Week. Please read on to find out how you can get involved!

SEND activities with Great Minds Together at our district's Family Hubs

Great Minds Together is an organisation which supports neurodivergent children and young people, and those with mental health needs. They will be providing sessions and activities for families with children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) during February at two Family Hubs. 

The sessions will follow the theme of 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself' and will be on:

• Tuesday, 18 February at Reevy Hill Family Hub (Bradford South) and
• Thursday, 20 February at Farcliffe Family Hub (Bradford West).

Please check the Family Hub timetables for more information including times. We hope to put sessions on in Keighley/Shipley and Bradford East later in the year. 

'Dressing for joy' - raising money and increasing awareness

Staff members at Rainbow Family Hub (Keighley/Shipley area) are joining forces with Bradford Council's Keighley-based Neighbourhoods team to raise money for the MIND (Bradford District and Craven) charity during Children's Mental Health Week.

Colleagues can wear anything at all that makes them happy - they will even be allowed to wear Manchester United shirts if that brings them joy! In return for dressing up, colleagues will make a donation for charity, and they will also share useful resources and information about support with families.

Useful information

If you are looking for support and information around children's mental health, here is some of the support available:

Time Apart Time Together project:
Time Apart Time Together project is a new programme available in Keighley, designed to support parents and young people, aged 8 to 18, who are experiencing difficulties around emotional wellbeing, mental health and resilience. The programme focuses on skills, communications and relationships whilst giving families an opportunity to spend some quality time together in a safe and friendly environment. See Time Apart Time Together project.

Family Hub timetabled activities including:  

• School nurse drop-ins
• SEND and/or Carers Resource coffee mornings
• Jump Aboard (appointments with the educational psychology team)
• SEND Community Support Team advice sessions
• SEND Marketplace events

Please see the Family Hub timetables for full details.

EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance): EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance) support groups coming up in March, April and June. See EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance). FYI website support Mental Health Support - children and young people - an overview of various support available. Parent/Carer Support Group - Supporting Emotional and Mental Health: Monthly online support group for parents/carers on MS Teams delivered by Bradford District Mental Health Support Team. This month the theme is healthy living (see article below).

In Our Place In Our Place is Bradford District’s online library of free courses for parenting and emotional well-being. Courses include 'Understanding your child's feelings' and 'Understanding your teenager's brain'. All the courses are free for Bradford District parents. See In Our Place. National Children's Mental Health Week campaign The Place2Be charity has some fantastic resources for schools and families - why not take a look. They are also promoting the Disney/Pixar films Inside Out and Inside Out 2 as a great way for children to discover more about self-awareness and expressing emotions. If you are fortunate to have the Disney app why not watch these films with your child - or ask your child's school to get involved.

Parent/Carer Support Group - Supporting Emotional and Mental Health

The next Parent/Carer Support Group group will be held on: Tuesday, 25 February 2025, at 10.30am and 7.30pm.

Two sessions are available to suit different people's personal, family or work commitments. Both sessions are the same. 

The topic for February’s group is: “Supporting your child: Living a healthier life with your child: with my Living Well service”.

• Are the demands of modern life a barrier to you and your family living a healthier life?
• Do you want to know the connections between food, being active and our mental wellbeing? Do you want to discuss healthy living with your child and/or family but not sure where to start?
• Join this session for support around living healthy, the barriers, difficulties and challenges this may bring.

What is the Parent/Carer Support Group?

The Parent/Carer Support Group is an online group, facilitated by NHS mental health practitioners. The group is a safe space for parents to get together, share their experiences and build positive relationships. A different subject is discussed each month and parents will receive useful information and strategies around the chosen monthly topic.

If you are interested in attending, please contact the team at: mhstparentsupport@bdct.onmicrosoft.com

Give your child the best start for life – Let’s Get Talking Bradford!

Have you heard about the Talking Bradford guide on the FYI website? It’s a great way to find help for your child with talking and communication.

There’s lots you can do at home together, like choosing a fun and easy activity from the award-winning BBC Tiny Happy People website. (Find out more about their new text message service below!)

Bradford mums who have tried the guide said: “Having all the information to help families in one place is a good idea!.. I watched some of the videos and found them all helpful, especially the BBC Tiny Happy People ones.”

Visit the FYI website and the Talking Bradford guide to find out more, or watch our short Talking Bradford film (opens in YouTube).

BBC Tiny Happy People - fun and free text messaging programme for parents!

• Are you a parent of a young child aged 6 to 24 months? 
• Are you looking for something fun and free to support your child’s development?

This could be just the thing for you! Designed by child-development experts and brought to you by the BBC, Tiny Happy People is a FREE text messaging programme to help your little one learn and grow.  

Each week, Tiny Happy People will send you simple, expert-designed activities straight to your phone that are easy, enjoyable, and supportive for both you and your child.

Sign up here!

Why you’ll love it! 

• Personalised for your family: Activities are tailored to meet your child’s needs. 
• Quick and fun: No apps, no hassle—just one message per week, just easy-to-try fun activities that fit right into your daily routines.
• Expert guidance: Activities have been specially created by child development experts to support your child’s language and social skills. 
• More quality time: You’ll be able to enjoy meaningful moments with your child that help strengthen your bond, without the stress of a complicated, expensive activity. 
• Proven by parents: Lots of parents already trust Tiny Happy People to support their child’s learning.

How does it work?

• It’s simple! Sign up here. 
• Choose a time that works best for you to receive weekly tips and activities.
• Get the messages straight to your phone.
• Complete activities at your own pace, whenever it suits you and your little one.

Sign up now to avoid missing out later!

Tiny Happy People are offering an exclusive preview of this service if you sign up in February and March 2025. Spots are filling up quickly, so be sure to sign up soon to secure your place! Once you sign up you will receive videos for the full year.

What are parents saying about the programme?

“Tiny Happy People helped us feel so much more confident as parents. It was reassuring to know we were doing the right things and gave us simple ways to keep supporting our child’s growth.” – Jane

Bonus opportunity

Take 2 minutes at the end of each day to reflect on the programme, and receive a £100 voucher after 4 weeks! If you’d like to sign up for this diary study, please indicate this on your sign up form.  

Take a look at Talking Bradford

If you like this great service from Tiny Happy People, please also take a look at Talking Bradford for more information about local support and services to support your child's speech and language development. 

Digital drop-ins at our district's Family Hubs

You might already know that our district's Family Hubs hold regular digital drop-in sessions, to offer families support to get online. 

Next month some of the sessions will welcome a special guest - Ayisha Hameed, Digital Inclusion Officer.

Ayisha will be at the digital drop-in sessions which run for a couple of hours, and are open for all to attend. The sessions will support families to develop digital skills, for example:

• How to navigate devices (laptops etc)
• Browsing the internet
• Accessing digital resources
• Helping with more specific requests like getting registered on the NHS app
• Managing your health online
• Accessing benefits support
• Filling in forms
• Applying for jobs
• Managing finances
• Internet safety
• Supporting children with their digital wellbeing
• Addressing scams/frauds and cybersecurity

Ayisha will be attending drop-in sessions and offering this support at:

• Rainbow Family Hub, Keighley, from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday, 18 February.
• Reevy Hill Family Hub, Bradford South, from 1pm to 4pm on Tuesday, 25 February.

To attend the sessions, there is no need to book, just turn up! Check for further details and updates on the Family Hub timetables. 

These sessions are arranged as part of Bradford District’s Digital Inclusion Programme.  If you are interested in finding out more about the digital inclusion work that is taking place across Bradford District including the family hubs, please get in touch with ayisha.hameed@bradford.gov.uk.

Baby Massage - free courses across the Bradford District

Latest dates for groups starting in February

Also offering at new venues for 2025!

Having a baby is a big change and can be challenging, but the gentle movements and closeness provided through baby massage can help.

Are you:

• Struggling to connect with your baby?
• Finding it difficult to calm your baby?
• Feeling worried or sad?

If the answer to yes, then a free, 5-week baby massage course, with Little Minds Matter and Family Hubs, may help you and your baby.

The next courses across the Bradford District will start in January.

• Bradford East - Gateway Centre
  Thursday, 27 February until Thursday, 27 March, 1.00 to 2.30 pm (will run until 3.00 pm on the first and last session)
• Bradford East - Barkerend Family Hub
  Friday, 28 February until Friday, 28 March, 10.00 to 11.30 am (will start at 9.30 am on the first and last session)
• Bradford South - Reevy Hill Family Hub
  Thursday. 27 February until Thursday, 27 March, 10.00 to 11.30 am (will start at 9.30 am on the first and last session)
• Bradford South - Woodside Children Centre, Fenwick Drive, BD6 2PG
  Thursday, 27 February until Thursday, 27 March, 1.00 to 2.30 pm (will run until 3.00 pm on the first and last session)
• Bradford West - Farcliffe Family Hub
  Monday, 24 February until Monday, 24 March, 10.00 to 11.30 am (will start at 9.30 am on the first and last session)
• Bradford West - Bevan House, 14 Piccadilly, BD1 3LS
  Thursday, 27 February until Thursday, 27 March, 12.30 to 2.00 pm (will finish at 2.30 pm on the first and last session
• Keighley - Strong Close, Airedale Road, Keighley BD21 4LW
  Monday, 24 February until Monday, 24 March, 10.00 to 11.30 am (will start at 9.30 am on the first and last session)
• Bingley - Trinity Centre, John Escritt Road, BD16 2ST
  Wednesday, 26 February until Wednesday, 26 March, 1.00 to 2.30 pm (will run until 3.00 pm on the first and last session)

Past courses have been fully booked, so please register your interest as soon as possible. 

Baby massage can help:

• Strengthen the parent-baby bond using soothing touch.
• Notice more of what baby is trying to tell you.
• Boost self-esteem and confidence in parenting.
• Enhance your understanding of baby’s development.
• Encourage deeper sleep for baby.
• Relieve wind, colic, and constipation.
• Develop muscle tone and co-ordination.

Suitable for families with a baby aged 6 weeks to 6 months. Due to space only one parent/carer per baby please.

Applying and booking through the FYI website is essential.

For more information and to apply, please visit the FYI website: https://fyi.bradford.gov.uk/baby-massage-with-little-minds-matter/

These baby massage courses have been funded by the Family Hubs Start for Life programme.

Information and training
for professionals and practitioners

Reflect, Connect, Expect - thank you to everyone who made our event a success!

The Family Hubs Start for Life programme held a partnership event on 21 January to reflect on what we have achieved to date, connect with each other, and think about what we can expect for the future.

We welcomed around 100 colleagues to Victoria Hall in Saltaire and heard from a range of presenters.

Marium Haque, Strategic Director for Children's Services at Bradford Council, opened the event, reminding us all of our shared purpose, and why we do what we do:

"We want our district to be a place where all our babies, children and young people are given the best start in life, are happy and healthy, able to develop to their full potential, and have successful lives."

Lydia Hutchings, from the Department for Health and Social Care, joined the event to share insight from the the national perspective. Lydia said: 

"The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is central to the Government’s commitments to give every baby the best start in life, and to deliver the healthiest generation ever.

"Bradford District’s determination to put babies, children and families at the heart of the programme locally is fantastic to see. Thank you for all the work that you are doing to support families during the critical first 1,001 days and beyond."

Over the course of the day we also heard from:

• Family Hub Start for Life programme team
• FYI website team (Bradford Council)
• Early Help and Family Hub teams (Bradford Children and Families Trust)
• Baby Steps (Action for Children) - representing the Parenting Support strand
• Incredible Years (Barnado's) - Home Learning Environment
• Little Minds Matter (Bradford District Care Trust) - Parent Infant Relationship
• Family Action - Perinatal mental health
• Bradford District Care Trust and Health for All - Infant Feeding
• Parents from the Family Hub Start for Life parent and carer panel

A highlight of the day was hearing from families that had used the services, including a mum who had attended the Incredible Years course. A mum of four boys, she went along to Incredible Years with her youngest, and said the course was "life changing" and that she wished she had come when her older children were younger. It was an emotional moment and it is fair to say the whole room understood the impact the programme had had on her and her family.

Lyndsay Ward, Family Navigator for Bradford West shared a moving case study, demonstrating the amazing support one mum received from the family navigator at the Family Hub. Since speaking to Lyndsay, the mum has gained the confidence to attend a mums, bumps and babies group, get support from MIND and sign up for a parenting programme.

If you would like to take a look at the slides from the event, you can find these on the FYI website’s practitioner forum. Please note you will need to create an account and/or log into your account to view the forum. https://fyi.bradford.gov.uk/practitioners-forum/

Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that presented or came along on the day!

Workforce survey – have your say if you work with families via the Family Hubs

Do you work for Bradford District’s family hubs, or is your organisation part of the family hubs’ wider partnership?

We want to hear from you!

Share your views and experiences of the family hubs working model, so a team of researchers can learn what helps workforces and families, and what could be better.

Your feedback will be included in national evaluation of Start for Life and the family hubs.

Take part in the short survey before 31 March using this link: Workforce survey.  

Thank you for your participation! 

Relationships Matter to Dads and Male Carers

Bradford City FC Community Foundation Take Over Event

Saturday, 15 February 2025 10.00am to 1.00pm. Event for professionals, dads and male carers.

"Dads and male carers matter. We want more men and dads to take up the Relationships Matter support which is available across the district."

We all argue with loved ones – this is part of family life. There are also times in life when arguments crop up more frequently than others.

When arguments happen frequently, become intense and are poorly resolved, it can impact us emotionally and affect all aspects of our life, be it personal, family life or work. This can also cause worry and anxiety for our children.

Bradford Childrens and Families Trust and Bradford City Football Club Community Foundation are collaborating with partners that work with men, dads and male carers.

We are inviting you to an exciting event to raise awareness of Relationships Matter with dads and male carers and the support that is available to them. This event will be the start of a week of activities focused on dads and male carers. The week will culminate in the screening of a bespoke campaign video at Bradford City Football Club’s home game on Saturday, 22 February to raise awareness of Relationships Matter and the support that is available.

Places at the event on the 15 February 2025 are limited, but a small number of places are still available. Please could you:

• Share information about this event with any dads or male carers who may find it interesting or helpful.
• Bring along dads and male carers you may be working with to the event.

The event will include information stalls, activities and a tour of Bradford City Football Club stadium.  Food and refreshments will be provided at the start of the event.

For tickets or more information, please email mehnaz.malik@bradfordcft.org.uk stating how many tickets you would like. 

Deadline for ticket requests is Friday, 7 February 2025.

Infant Mental Health Awareness training for professionals

With Little Minds Matter

The last few spaces are available for Infant Mental Health Awareness training for professionals happening on Wednesday, 5 February at the Mayfield Centre.

You can also sign up now for the follow-up training, Infant Mental Health In Action (half day) on 26 February, also at the Mayfield Centre. You must have attended the full day session in order to attend the follow-up.

You can sign up for both courses by registering on Eventbrite: Little Minds Matter: Infant Mental Health Service Events - 2 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite.

More about Infant Mental Health Training

The training consists of a one-day initial training course and a half-day follow up.

Initial training day will provide you with information on infant neurodevelopment, attachment theory and promoting responsiveness and sensitivity in parents.

The half-day follow up aims to build on the knowledge gained previously and increase your confidence in talking to parents about infant mental health and develop skills in parent-infant observations.

Little Minds Matter provide both a theoretical knowledge base and space for you to apply this in practice. We hope that you will leave our training feeling more confident in your work supporting complex parent-infant relationships.

How to book: please see Little Minds Matter: Infant Mental Health Service Events - 2 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite.

Family Hubs and Start for Life
useful information and contacts

Latest Family Hub timetables - February 2025

Our Family Hub area timetables show the sessions and activities that are taking place for families in the coming month.

Some sessions will need booking in advance - please contact your Family Hub if you would like to book a place.

Our Family Hubs around the district

Follow us on Facebook You can follow the FYI service and all the Family Hubs on Facebook: Bradford East  Bradford West Bradford South Keighley/Shipley FYI - Families and Young Person's Information

In Our Place - free online courses for everyone in the Bradford District

‘In Our Place’ is an online library of free courses for everyone in the Bradford District, including families with children of all ages, during pregnancy, for teenagers (courses to follow independently), and adults.

In Our Place free courses are designed to help you better understand yourself and your family members, providing useful tips and information, to help you deal with children and family life, parenting, relationships, and your own emotional wellbeing.

There are 17 courses, all delivered online, ‘on demand’, through a combination of audio, video and text, so you can follow them in your own time and at your own pace. Different language options are available, and the system also supports Google Translate.

All the In Our Place courses are completely free for Bradford District residents. You can register for as many courses as you want.

To access the courses for free, all you will need is your post code and the access code – BDPARENTS.

Where to find In Our Place

You can find a link directly to the In Our Place courses from the new Parenting and family programmes page on the FYI (Families and Young Person’s Information) website.

Be sure to follow the In Our Place button link to access the courses.  If you would like to talk to a professional, or prefer in person advice and support, you can also get in touch with our district’s Family Hubs.

What's on guide - on FYI

The FYI (Families and Young Person's Information) website has a What's On guide, which is kept up-to-date with events around the district for families, children and young people.

There are various filters to help you search, including by date, post code, age group and event category.

You can also search by 'key word' to find what you are interested in - just use the 'Search' function while you are on the What's On page. 

Take a look and find out what's happening near you!

Why have I received this email?

You have received this email from Family Hubs and Start for Life because you previously subscribed to receive Family Hub Information from one or more of our Family Hubs: Keighley and Shipley, Bradford East, Bradford South and Bradford West.

Stay subscribed to make sure you don't miss out on any future updates! 

If you have been sent this email by someone else, you can sign up for future emails here: