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February 2025

Welcome to your February newsletter!

This month's newsletter is full of variety, with a feature on new babies in our article about In Our Place, a focus on dads and male carers in our coverage of a fantastic Relationships Matter event at Bradford City Football Club's stadium, and a look ahead to four brilliant events at the district's Family Hubs to celebrate World Book Day in March.

And there is lots more! 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 the 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.

Celebrate World Book Day at Bradford District’s Family Hubs!

Parents and carers are invited to four, free story time events, with activities, at Bradford District’s Family Hubs. The story and activities are aimed at children aged 5 and under.

The events will be at:

• Barkerend Family Hub – Thursday, 6 March - from 10 am to 11.30 am
• Rainbow Family Hub – Thursday, 6 March - from 1.30 pm to 3 pm
• Farcliffe Family Hub – Friday, 7 March - from 10 am to 11.30 am
• Reevy Hill Family Hub – Friday, 7 March - from 1.30 pm to 3 pm

Come along for:

• Interactive, vibrant story reading, with professional storyteller Sue Dyde
• Activities, crafts and play
• Free colouring booklets and other goodies
• Free book tokens
• Find out about free Family Hub membership

At Farcliffe Family Hub, you can also be one of the first families to have a peek inside their new library room! 

Children (and grown ups!) are welcome to wear fancy dress.

Find out more about these and other Family Hub events for families on the Family Hub timetables.

New baby? Find out about In Our Place – free online courses to help you and your family

‘In Our Place’ is a new library of free online courses for everyone in the Bradford District.

This month we are spotlighting the courses available for families with a new baby.

There are three courses available for this special postnatal period, including a general course for all families, and two courses for families with the additional challenge that comes with having a preterm (early) or sick baby. The courses are:

• Understanding your baby (suitable for all families)
• Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital
• Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home

The ‘Understanding your baby’ course is available in four additional languages: Arabic, Urdu, Spanish and Welsh. All the courses support Google translate into around 200 other languages.

Understanding your baby (suitable for all families) Your baby’s brain is making millions of connections every second; learning and establishing patterns that will set them up for a lifetime. ‘Understanding your baby’ is for all parents, grandparents and carers welcoming a new baby. This free course features 11 easy-to-follow, online modules, and has been designed to include all the practical information and advice you might hope for from a traditional baby group, with the additional benefit of support around emotional and mental wellbeing for you and your baby. This course is featured on the Parenting programme pathway on the FYI website and you can also find out more on the In Our Place learning website here: Understanding your baby.

Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital Having a preterm or sick baby, cared for in a hospital, can be an overwhelming experience, filled with uncertainties, and a mix of powerful emotions, from enormous love, to anxiety, fear and stress. ‘Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital’ is for all parents, grandparents and carers of babies experiencing neonatal care. With six easy-to-follow, online modules, this course will help parents and other relatives learn about your baby’s development and needs, while also supporting your emotional wellbeing. This course is featured on the Parenting programme pathway on the FYI website and you can also find out more on the In Our Place learning website here: Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital. Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home Returning home and caring for your baby, without the support of the medical team you’ve become used to in hospital, can be a challenging transition. ‘Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you’re home’ is for all parents, grandparents and carers of babies who have experienced neonatal care, and who are now settling them in at home. With 13 easy-to-follow, online modules, this course is designed to help you develop a strong and connected relationship with your baby. It includes both practical information about caring for your baby, as well as information about their developmental needs, and guidance for feeding, sleeping and crying. This course is featured on the Parenting programme pathway on the FYI website and you can also find out more on the In Our Place learning website here: Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home.

More about In Our Place ‘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 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 and text, with additional video on some courses, 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 Parenting and family programmes page on the FYI (Families and Young Person’s Information) website.

Click on the In Our Place button 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.

Get online - for free - at Bradford District's Family Hubs

Not everyone has access to a laptop or Wi-Fi - or feels confident about using all the systems that are part of the online world.   

Did you know that lots of free support is available at Bradford District's main Family Hubs including:

• Laptops that are available for families to use while in the building, for free.
• Use of the free Wi-Fi with your own smart phone, laptop or other device, while you are in the building.
• Free SIM cards pre-loaded with mobile data that you can take home to use with your own smartphone (SIM cards kindly provided by the Good Things Foundation).

Whether you or someone you know is struggling to get online, support is available Monday to Friday. There is no need to book, simply turn up and speak to reception.

Using the Family Hub laptops

The laptops can be used for a number of things, including:

• Creating an email address
• Checking your emails
• Searching for information on the internet 
• Applying for a job
• Completing online forms
• Booking appointments
• Online courses
• And much more

Help is available to get you started, whether in-person support, or a printed 'get started' guide. There are also guides available in various community languages.

If you would like to use the Family Hubs digital services, look out for a digital drop-in session on the Family Hub timetables, or call in at one of the main Family Hubs and ask. 

Why do Family Hubs offer this support?

Our world is becoming increasingly reliant on access to digital (online) services. Even accessing basic needs such as healthcare and banking is often done online.

But Good Things Foundation say that, nationally, 8.5 million people don’t have basic digital skills to get online, 2.4m households can’t afford their mobile phone contract, and 1.5m don’t have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. This issue is replicated across the Bradford district in many areas, where rates of so called 'digital exclusion' are high.

Without digital skills or access to equipment, people have fewer opportunities for education, employment, and social participation. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, 90% of jobs will require some sort of digital skill.

By providing free-to-use digital equipment, funded by Family Hubs and Start for Life, and other support, we aim to help reduce the digital divide and increase opportunities for families in the Bradford District. 

Last chance to have a Jump Aboard appointment with the Educational Psychology Team

Jump Aboard offers parents and carers general advice to help with concerns about their child’s learning or development.

Sadly, this March sees the final Jump Aboard sessions across the Bradford District's Family Hubs, because the Jump Aboard project is finishing from April. We would like to thank the Educational Psychology Team for providing Jump Aboard in the Family Hubs over the past 18 months or so. 

Please don't miss this last chance to get a Jump Aboard appointment. The sessions are for parents/carers of children and young people aged up to 16.

Jump Aboard sessions in March

• Reevy Hill Family Hub, BD6 - Tuesday, 4 March, appointments from 12:30pm to 3pm.
• Rainbow Family Hub, BD22 - Wednesday, 5 March, 9:30am to 11:30am
• Barkerend Family Hub, BD3 - Thursday, 6 March, appointments from 10am to 11:30am.
• Farcliffe Family Hub, BD8 - Friday, 14 March, appointments from 10am to 12 noon.

Please phone the Family Hub to book your session - all contact numbers are on fyi.bradford.gov.uk. 

More about Jump Aboard 

At these final Jump Aboard appointments, parents and carers can: 

• Talk through your concerns and get general advice and suggestions for what is available locally to help you support your child.
• Ask about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); social, emotional and mental health (SEMH); speech, language and communication; and neurodivergent needs such as ADHD and autism.
• Get information about SEND systems and processes in the Bradford District.

These Jump Aboard sessions with the Educational Psychology Team are free to parents and carers to attend.

The sessions are for parents/carers of children and young people aged up to 16. They are not suitable young people aged 16 or over - please speak to your school or find advice on the Local Offer website if this applies to you. 

Support when Jump Aboard ends

Other support is available to help families with concerns about your child’s learning or development.

• Ask to speak to the SENDco (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) at your child's school to find out what support is available.
• Look at the advice on the Local Offer website. 
• Book onto a free EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance) session - dates are on the FYI website: EBSA sessions.
• Drop in on one of the other SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) coffee mornings or advice sessions at the Family Hubs - details are on the Family Hub timetables. 

Relationships Matter showcases new video

The Relationships Matter campaign, which is run by Bradford Children and Families Trust, has worked with Bradford City Football Club Community Foundation to create a new video featuring Bradford City players sharing their experiences of fatherhood.

In the film, entitled ‘Winning Together’, City stars Sam Walker, Tyreik Wright and Paul Huntington share experiences of being in a couple and fatherhood, with the aim of helping local fathers and male carers to talk about the challenges and the joys that they face and how, if there are difficulties, they can manage this positively. The film invites men to seek out the resources and support provided by the Bradford Children and Families Trust and other agencies, including the support available through Relationships Matter.

The film was premiered at Bradford City’s home game versus MK Dons on Saturday 22 February. That fixture also marked Bradford City Football Club Community Foundation’s first-ever Community Takeover Day, in celebration of the positive work the Foundation does with Bradford’s communities, and its wide-reaching impact.

Watch the film on YouTube or look out for it on social media.

Relationships Matter event and sessions for local dads

To mark the Bradford City Football Club Community Foundation and the Bradford Children and Families Trust's new partnership, the two organisations hosted an event for local dads and male carers on Saturday, 15 February at the City Hub, next to the BCFC stadium.

There were lots of free activities including a playbus for the kids, woodwork for the dads, and inflatable goals for everyone.

The Family Hubs Start for Life programme, and FYI website team, went to the event, along with colleagues from the Family Hubs, to chat with dads and male carers about what matters to them and share information about the support and services available. Dad Matters, which is funded in the Bradford District by Family Hubs Start for Life, also came along to talk to dads and male carers and to share information about what they do. 

Support sessions for dads and male carers will take place regularly at the Foundation’s City Hub, offering a free, engaging space for dads and male carers to connect with their peers and engage in beneficial and practical workshops and events. The Trust will also be running a Time Out for Dads course from the City Hub.

• If you are interested in finding out more about Time Out for Dads please visit the FYI website.
• Dad Matters is also featured on the FYI website: see Dad Matters or the I'm a dad page. 
• To find out more about Relationships Matter support please go to: Relationships Matter.

Events at our district's Family Hubs

Every month the Family Hubs across our district put on dozens of regular and one-off events and activities for families. Here is a round up of some of the most recent events.

Family fun day at Rainbow Family Hub

Earlier this month Rainbow Family Hub, in Keighley, held a family fun event, where 30 families came along. A great time was had by all, with messy play, arts and crafts, and more, as you can see from the photos above! Thank you to all the families that came along.

Arts and crafts at Reevy Hill Family Hub

During half term, Reevy Hill Family Hub, in Bradford South, held three fantastic art sessions. There was a children and young people's craft event, organised jointly with Great Minds Matter; a DRAW! event arranged as part of Bradford's City of Culture programme; and a Valentine's themed arts and craft session.

It was amazing to see so much creativity at each session! Thank you to everyone who made the events a success. 

SEND marketplace in Shipley Library

On Wednesday, 19 February, family navigators Fozia and Kathryn, of Keighley/Shipley Family Hub, organised and facilitated the first SEND marketplace drop-in session for parent and carers living in the Shipley area. The session, for families with a child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), took place at the Shipley Library.

Specialist practitioners from a variety of SEND support services attended this session, offering free advice and support, and answering questions. Services represented included SENDAIS, the short breaks team, complex health and disabilities, Kooth, Living Well, children’s community support team, carers resource, SEND library services, SEND local offer, 50 things, and the SEND specialist assessment and support team.

The event was a great success with positive feedback from families. Parents and carers said that they were made to feel very welcome, and they learned a lot about the support and services on offer. Parents also said they would recommend the family hubs and their services to other friends and family members.

SEND marketplace and other SEND events happen regularly around the district. Have a look at the Family Hub timetables to find out what is happening near you. 

Keep up to date

Keep a look out on the Family Hub timetables, and the Facebook pages for each Family Hub area, to make sure you don't miss great events like these in the future.

• Bradford East 
• Bradford West
• Bradford South
• Keighley/Shipley

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.

Information and training
for professionals and practitioners

Reflect, Connect, Expect partnership event - your feedback

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.

Following the event we shared a feedback survey with colleagues and partners who attended. 31 people took part in the survey and we got some fantastic insights. Thank you to everyone who took the time to feed back.

Some statistics from the feedback:

• 81% of respondents said the event was 'excellent' or 'very good', while a further 10%  said it was 'good'.
• 90% said they felt more valued for their work as a result of attending the event. 

You described your highlight of the event and what you learned:

• "Hearing from the service users was incredibly powerful."
• "Enjoyed the opportunity to network and think about improving partnerships."
• "Heightened my understanding of the impact of the programmes and Family Hub on our families."
• "The whole event was very good."

There were also some useful ideas and feedback about what else we could do at future events.

You can read the full report which is shared on the new Good news & highlights blog page on the FYI website.

Together Trust - FREE sleep training for professionals
Dates available from March to August 2025

'Sleep training' courses are available from the Together Trust charity, for professionals in the Bradford District and Craven, to help you advise and support families. 

These free courses will help you learn more about children's sleep disorders, the science behind sleep, and how creating a sleep plan with the family can help.

All training sessions are free, but must be booked in advance by emailing SleepTraining@TogetherTrust.org.uk.

How can sleep training help? Watch Rachel's story

Rachel got in touch with Together Trust's Sleep Tight team because her son, Thomas, who was 8 at the time, was struggling to sleep. With help from a trained sleep practitioner, Thomas now has a new sleep routine which has made a huge impact on their whole family.

"I really didn't expect him to... But he just did it! He slept through all night. He didn't wake up from that minute on and that was three months ago, maybe even longer."

With this training, you too can help mums like Rachel.

Watch the case study video and find out more here: Rachel and Thomas' sleep story | Together Trust.

Introductory course - one day - in person or online

This course will include an introduction to sleep science and sleep disorders, and will provide advice on creating a good sleep environment and other strategies to support good sleep.

In person course

The in-person course will be held in the Bradford area - venue to be confirmed after booking. Please bring your own lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided. Dates and times available:

• Thursday, 29 April 2025 - 10am to 3pm
• Tuesday, 17 June 2025 - 10am to 3pm
• Wednesday, 16 July 2025 - 10am to 3pm

Online course

The online course is held live on MS Teams. Dates and times available:

• Monday, 31 March 2025 - 10am to 3pm
• Wednesday, 21 May 2025 - 10am to 3pm
• Thursday, 21 August 2025 - 10am to 3pm

In-depth course - two days - in person training

This course is more in-depth than the one-day course. It will include sleep training methods, problem solving, sleep assessments, and how to write a sleep plan, with case studies to provide examples. 

You must attend both days. The course will be held in the Bradford area - venue to be confirmed after booking.

Please note the March dates have slightly changed - perhaps the new date is now more convenient for you?

Dates and times available:

• Wednesday, 19 and Thursday, 20 March 2025 - 10am to 3pm
• Wednesday, 9 and Thursday 10 July 2025 - 10am to 3pm

Book your place

To book a place or find out more, please email SleepTraining@togethertrust.org.uk, and include:

• Your full name
• Job title
• Preferred session and date

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! 

Family Hubs and Start for Life
useful information and contacts

Latest Family Hub timetables - March 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

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: