Over the next month there are some important faith and family festivals coming up, including the end of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid al-Fitr; Passover; Vaisakhi; and Easter, which is later on in April. Our very best wishes to all families celebrating these or other festivals!
It is also the school holidays, from 5 to 21 April for most schools in the Bradford District. This means a change to Family Hub timetables, with 'term time only' activities pausing. This also means fun holiday activities for families and children of all ages being put on in some Family Hubs. There will be lots going on, with arts and crafts, outdoor egg trails and more! Please keep up to date by looking at the Family Hub timetables, and follow your nearest Family Hub on Facebook.
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.
Family Hubs and Start for Life programme extended for the upcoming year
We are very pleased to be able to confirm that Bradford District’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, initially funded from 2022 to 2025, has had its funding extended for a further year. This means the programme’s services and support for children and families will continue from April 2025 to March 2026.
During its initial three year period, the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme has worked in partnership with a range of organisations, to make a difference to Bradford District’s families. Achievements include:
17 family-facing initiatives have been delivered and over 11,500 appointments offered, including antenatal courses; breastfeeding and infant feeding support for new parents; speech, language and learning support for families concerned about their child’s development; mental health support for parents and carers; and more.
Almost 7,000 Bradford District parents and carers, and their children, have so far been directly reached with a support service provided through Family Hubs and Start for Life.
Transformation projects including funding improvements at Reevy Hill Family Hub, in the Buttershaw area, which benefitted from a new entrance and reception, refurbished rooms for family activities and learning programmes, and a sensory space for babies and children.
42 laptops have been provided to Family Hubs across the district, for use by families who may not have access to a digital device at home, and ‘digital friends’ have been trained to support families with using the devices.
Over 6,000 booklets detailing free services handed to mums-to-be at their initial ‘booking in’ appointment with their midwife.
Setting up a parent-carer panel which has allowed parents and carers to give direct input into what services should be offered to families and how these are provided and promoted.
In Our Place online support course library to assist with family life and emotional wellbeing – funded for the entire Bradford District for three years.
Plans are now in place for the allocation of the Start for Life funding in the Bradford District during the coming year. Services to be funded by Family Hubs and Start for Life in 2025 to 2026, offering direct, free support to families, will include:
Dad Matters for dads and male carers.
Infant feeding support and breastfeeding drop in sessions with Health for All.
Emotional health and wellbeing support for pregnant women and new parents and carers, through Family Action and Little Minds Matter.
Baby Steps to support parents through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Incredible Years preschool learning and development support for children aged 3 to 4.
Further support to engage with families from the earliest stage, and signpost or refer families to further help if needed.
There will also be further capital investments to support the family hubs network across the Bradford District.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the partners, colleagues, parents, carers and families who have been part of our journey so far. We look forward to continuing to support the Bradford District’s families and workforces over the next 12 months.
World Book Day at Bradford District’s Family Hubs!
In March, lots of families came along to four, free story time events, with activities, at Bradford District’s Family Hubs: Barkerend, Rainbow, Farcliffe and Reevy Hill.
Children were treated to an amazing interactive story reading with Sue Dyde. There were crafts, play and lots more for children and their grown ups to enjoy.
Well done to our Family Hub colleagues for arranging these fantastic family events!
Find out more about future Family Hub events, including Easter holiday events with arts and crafts, outdoor egg trails and more, on the Family Hub timetables.
Little Minds Matter - Circle of Security group and other support
Having a baby can be a time of confusing or unexpected emotions, and it can make you feel happy, sad, or worried. You might need support for lots of different reasons.
Little Minds Matter can support you and your family to give your baby the best possible start in life, through ‘Circle of Security’ groups with other parents and carers, and also on an individual basis.
Next Circle of Security group starting soon
The Circle of Security parenting group has had some lovely feedback from parents and carers, like the comment below:
“I actually get listened to. I felt like I wasn’t alone with my feelings and I wasn’t the 'only one' that had those experiences before.” (Circle of Security participant, March 2025)
Little Minds Matter is currently in the process of setting up another Circle of Security group, due to start in May. The group will meet for 8 weeks at weekly in-person sessions, so do let us know if you or someone you know might be interested.
You can refer yourself to the Little Minds Matter Service and we will work out what support might be the most helpful.
Dad Matters Bradford have a new 'Walk n Talk' monthly event happening in different locations around the Bradford District. The events provide a place for dads and male carers to come along and enjoy spending time with other dads and their families.
This is a great opportunity to meet new people and chat through things with other dads that might have similar experiences in their parenting journey.
The next two sessions are at:
Cliffe Castle Park, Keighley, on Saturday, 26 April at 10.30am. Spring Gardens Lane, Keighley, BD20 6LH. Feel free to stay for lunch in the café at the end.
Lister Park, Bradford, on Saturday, 10 May at at 10.30am. North Park Road, Bradford. BD9 4NS.
To join the Cliffe Castle Park session please call Louise on 07935616261 or to join at Lister Park please call Mohammed on 07895803318.
NEW - videos bring each Family Hub to life online!
The Family Hub pages on the FYI (Families and Young Person's Information) website have recently had a refresh, with new videos to help show what's on offer, and what families can expect when visiting for the first time.
We have also added information about parking, and getting to each main family hub on public transport, to make it easier for families to get to our district's family hubs.
Take a look at each page to watch the videos and find out more!
Moving up to secondary school – free support for parents and carers of children with additional needs
Is your child moving up to secondary school in September?
The transition to high school can be a period of mixed emotions for every family. Worries and anxieties may be heightened if your child has additional needs.
‘Moving up to secondary school for children with additional needs’, is a free, online course, available to all families in the Bradford District.
It’s ideal for parents and carers, to help you support your child in preparation for starting secondary school.
If your child is dyspraxic, dyslexic, very anxious, autistic, really dislikes change, has ADHD, a learning disability, a physical disability or any other additional need, this may be the course for you.
This free course, part of the In Our Place course library, can be followed on demand, in your own time. To access the course, all you need is your Bradford District post code and the code BDPARENTS.
‘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.
Event for World Autism Acceptance Day (WAAD) happening on Tuesday, 29 April
World Autism Acceptance Day is coming up on 2 April, and in celebration of this, a fantastic free event is coming up later in the month on Tuesday, 29 April.
Taking place from
WAAD is an annual event for families with autistic children or young people (no diagnosis required) or people with a connection to autism, and is an unmissable chance to meet a whole host of services. The event is organised by AWARE.
The event will be free, as always, and this year the organisers are trialing a ticket-free event – no need to book, just turn up. If you prefer to arrive when the event is a bit quieter, we recommend coming after midday.
You are more than welcome to bring children with you – organisers are planning to have a sensory/chillout room that they can access if needed.
More information to support families with a child with autism or other SEND needs
Services from Bradford Council and Bradford Children and Families Trust that will attend the event include the Family Hubs Start for Life programme, FYI website, Local Offer, Youth Service and Youth Justice. Helpful information about some of these services:
There is a Bradford SEND Local Offer Partnership newsletter with the latest useful SEND news, information, events, activities and more. Sign up here.
We have both online, virtual and in person support for parents with autism, those awaiting a diagnosis and general support for people with children with additional needs - Parenting programme pathway, click on 'families of children with SEND'
Our Family Hubs have sensory rooms/spaces - that can be booked for individual use - check the Family Hubs timetables for times and contact details.
School anxiety - 'emotionally based school avoidance'
Is your child struggling to go to school due to feelings of worry or stress?
Are you unsure about what to do?
Emotionally based school avoidance, or EBSA, happens when children and young people have worries about school, leading to difficulties attending school.
If this is happening in your family, you can join the friendly and supportive Parent Support Group with the Educational Psychology Team. You’ll find a safe space to:
Share and listen to other parents and get ideas to help.
Learn more about what you can do to support your child, and what you can expect from school.
The groups will run for 4 sessions - you must be able to attend all 4.
The next groups are starting in April, in Ilkley, and in June, in Keighley. It doesn't matter where in the Bradford District you live - you may attend either group.
Information and training for professionals and practitioners
Little Minds Matter - support and advice for the professional workforce
Little Minds Matter offers a range of free support to professionals working with families in the first 1,001 critical days, from conception to age 2.
Weekly drop-in
Professionals working with families can access a weekly drop-in session for advice and consultation. All sessions can be booked by contacting Little Minds Matter by phone (01274 251298) or email littlemindsmatter@bdct.nhs.uk.
Consultations
Little Minds Matter has seen a huge increase in the number of consultations offered to professionals on an ongoing basis. These consultation sessions allow colleagues working with the family a regular reflective space to consider the needs of the infant and the best way to support the family.
Feedback for these sessions has been positive and includes the following comment:
“It helped me to hold the baby in mind when thinking about next steps for the family.”
Little Minds Matter continues to accept referrals for families wanting support around their relationship with their baby.
While families can call or complete an online form, professionals can also refer families to the service, and we can work out what might be most helpful to the family.
The sessions are inclusive, for example a Circle of Security parenting group has just been completed where there was a mix of mothers and fathers and people who did not speak English.
Another course is due to start in May so please get in touch a family you work with might be interested.
Together Trust - FREE sleep training for professionals Dates available from April 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.
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.
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:
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
Each Family Hub area also works with other places including schools, nurseries, and community centres to provide services at a wider variety of places and closer to where families live. Contact your nearest Family Hub to find out more.
Full information is on the FYI (Families and Young Person's Information) website:
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!
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