Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the Family Hub Partner Newsletter!

Spotlight on...

The Bread and Butter Thing

The Bread and Butter Thing's mobile food clubs give access to nutritious and affordable food taken into the heart of communities starved of money, food and resources. This low cost weekly shop provides essential produce for family eating – fresh fruit and veg, fridge favourites and cupboard staples.

The Bread and Butter Thing in collaboration with Family Hubs at Underwood West Academy, Newcastle Street, Crewe.

Tucked away in leafy Cheshire sits Broken Cross Primary Academy, a little school doing some seriously big work, with Headteacher Donna leading a quiet revolution in how schools support struggling families. Like so many schools these days, it offers so much more than education.  With nearly half of its pupils qualifying for free school meals, Donna's team are trained to spot signs of need to make sure no child slips through the cracks. Join Mark and Vic as they chat with Donna about the growing pressures on working families, why Bread and Butter is such an important part of their school community and of course, the adorable school dogs.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

SEND Local Offer Live Marketplace

Over the past year, Cheshire East Family Hubs have delivered monthly SEND Local Offer Live Marketplace Events in a variety of locations across the locality.  We are delighted to have brough services to the front line of support and given parents and carers the opportunity to learn more about the opportunities for support for their children and young people with additional needs. 

We are now looking for primary schools across the locality to host these events for the 2025/26 academic year. If you would like to learn more, please contact charlotte.blake@cheshireeast.gov.uk.

Celebrating Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

This year's Maternal Mental Health Awareness week focussed on 'Your Voice, Your Strength'; empowering mothers to make their voice heard and for those around them to listen with due care and attention. 

We kicked off the week with the Supporting Good Maternal Mental Health Conference at Middlewich Canalside Conference Centre.  Here, professionals from across the perinatal mental health landscape came together to hear uplifting, thought provoking and educational talks from Smile Group, 0-19 Special Mental Health Practitioners, Her Place Charitable Trust and more. 

Following the conference, we hosted two Maternal Mental Health events for parents and carers at both Crewe Lifestyle Family Hub and Oakenclough Family Hub.  We hope that these events will become a fixture in our annual timetable in future. 

Cheshire East Young Carers

Since our new Young Carers Service appeared within the Family Hub in August 2023, we have received nearly 300 referrals for a Young Carers Statutory Assessments. Over 270 assessments were completed and a support plan created and shared with the Young Carer, their parent/carer, school and other professionals who may have submitted the referral.

Around 60% of these referrals are passed to our commissioned service to deliver targeted support for needs identified in the assessment. This support may look like 1 to 1 session to help the Young Carer understand more about the illness or disability of the person they support and space to talk openly about how they feel about it without judgement. Some Young Carers may need opportunities to take a break or meet other Young Carers to help them to feel less alone or different. 

The Carers’ Hub also complete the Adult Carers Statutory Assessments and Parent Carer assessments and support. If you are working with a family where there is an adult caring for a child with SEND or a medical condition and they need to undertake additional duties or responsibilities to care for that child, particularly if the parent is struggling, or they are providing unpaid additional care for a partner, parent or another adult, please talk with them about a carer needs assessment with the Carers Hub so that they can be offered additional support.

If you have any questions, please contact our team at youngcarersteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Collaboratives

North Locality

Our next face-to-face event will take place on Wednesday 18th June at Poynton Town Hall!

Mental Health First Aid Course

Supporting Parents in Poynton

FREE Online CPD for practitioners in Cheshire East

What practitioners say

Family Hub Updates for your setting/organisation

As we continue to share our offer across the locality, our Family Hub Business Development Officer Charlotte Blake has been visiting schools, primary care settings and voluntary organisations to ensure all practitioners are equipped with a solid understanding of the Family Hub offer and how best to signpost children and families to our services.

Charlotte has delivered staff meetings to Primary Education settings and GP practices and is keen to continue this work moving forwards. 

If you would like to find out more please email charlotte.blake@cheshireeast.gov.uk