Welcome to the January 2025 edition of our Family Hubs newsletter!
 We hope this newsletter finds you and your family well and that you are looking forward to a healthy and happy 2025!
Spotlight On...
Healthy Start
Did you know you may be able to get help to buy food and milk?
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help from the NHS to buy healthy food and milk through what is known as Healthy Start.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops, including most of the big supermarket chains . Money will be added to onto this card every 4 weeks.
The money can be used to buy:
- plain liquid cow’s milk
- fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
- fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
- Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old.
Why should I apply?
Healthy food and milk could support you to give your child a great start in life. Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre, which helps keep you healthy, and may reduce the risk of disease and some cancers.
It’s providing you with financial help.
As long as you remain eligible, you’ll receive the following payments every 4 weeks:
- £4.25 for each week of your pregnancy from 10 weeks
- £8.50 each week for children from birth to one year old
- £4.25 each week for children aged between one and 4 years old.
You get free Healthy Start vitamins.
Over 800 people are missing out on this support scheme across Cheshire East. Don’t be one of them!
Start for Life Journey
North Locality
 From January, lots of our North locality groups are changing. Everything you need to know is below:
Babies Together
Mon 10-11.30 – Oakenclough Family Hub
Wed 9.30-11.30 – Ash Grove Family Hub (alongside well baby)
Friday – 1-2.30 – Congleton Family Hub
Stay and Play
Tues – 10-11.30 – Congleton Family Hub
Wed – 10-11.30 – Oakenclough Family Hub
Thurs – 1-2.30 – Ash Grove Family Hub
Little Stars
Mon – 10-11.30 – Ash Grove Family Hub
Tues – 1-2.30 – Oakenclough Family hub
Thurs – 1-2.30 – Congleton Family Hub
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
FREE online workshops for families!
 No matter your family set up the important relationships in your child’s life help shape their emotional health and wellbeing. This transformative course offers a reflective space to think about your child’s development, their behaviour and how they are communicating. It is created by clinical psychologists, child psychotherapists, and family practitioners in partnership with parents who share their experiences.
Key features of this workshop include:
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Recognised by the Early Intervention Foundation
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11 modules reflecting a 10 week in person course.
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For all parents, carers and grandparents of children aged up to 19.
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Also, with professional translations in Bulgarian, Welsh, Modern standard Arabic, Polish, simplified Chinese, Somali and Urdu.
 NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is sharing guidance for parents and carers on common winter illnesses that often start circulating at this time of year, and asking them to think twice before treating these conditions with antibiotics, which rarely speed up recovery.
Instead, the Super Bodies campaign shares a guide for parents and carers on the simple things they can do to treat these common ailments at home, as well as helping them to spot the signs of a more serious illness, and knowing when and where to go for medical help.
Primary School Admissions 2025
Applications now open
 Applications are now open for children starting primary school. If you are a parent, with a child born between 1st September 2020 and 31st August 2021, your child will be due to start primary school in September 2025. Parents are strongly advised to apply for three preferences.
Applications must be submitted to the child’s home local authority by:
- 15 January 2025 for pupils starting primary in September 2025.
Parents still need to apply even if the child has a brother or sister already at the school or the child is attending a nursery/preschool attached to the school. Some faith schools may also require parents and carers to submit a supplementary information form/confirmation of baptism. Further information about this will be available on the school’s website.
Parents should consider how their child will travel to school when making preferences. Parents can find out about school transport at Free and subsidised school transport (cheshireeast.gov.uk)
To apply online and for further information please go to Application process for starting school in September (cheshireeast.gov.uk) or call 0300 123 5012.
For up to date information please direct parents to follow our twitter @CE_Admissions and follow The Family Information Service – @FISCheshireEast or Family Information Service (Cheshire East Council) - Home | Facebook
Book Start
 If your child has recently started school you may be feeling a little unsure of where to turn to for help and support. Even though your child is now attending school, Cheshire East Family Hubs are here to support you, as well as the 0-19 Contact Hub who provide:
- Health Visiting
- Infant Feeding – Cherubs
- School Nursing
- Family Nurse Partnership (FNP)
- Immunisation and screening
Common Approach to Children's Health
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