At A Better Start Southend we want to do things differently: helping people create great services that make a real difference to parents and children.
We want to find new ways to think about services for families; testing approaches that have worked well in other areas or may never have been tried before.
We’re focusing on projects that are either:
- based on ideas that have worked elsewhere, so we can see if they work in Southend
- based on the newest scientific thinking, so we can see if they work in practice
- driven by creative new ideas that deserve an opportunity to prove themselves
Sign up to our newsletter for information about how to get involved with new projects as they come on stream.
Our current projects are:
-
Families Growing Together: enjoy family time and get a boost through gardening activities at community gardening centres in Shoeburyness and Westcliff.
-
1-2-1 Breastfeeding Support: one-on-one breastfeeding support by Infant Feeding Support Workers for mothers identified as requiring support.
-
3-4 Month Health Visitor Contact: aiming to contribute to an increase in the number of children entering Reception at a healthy weight.
-
‘Bump to Breast’ Group-based Breastfeeding Support: offering both ante-natal and post-natal support for mothers who wish to breastfeed.
-
Co-production: actively involving parents and professionals equally in identifying needs, solutions and how these are developed.
-
Crèche services: helping crèche service workers to support the children they look after in the best way possible.
-
Family Nurse Partnership: supporting first time parents aged under 21 and their children.
-
Social and Communication Peer Support Workers: innovative, community-based support for families with children with social and communication needs.
-
Let’s Talk: fun-packed communication courses helping parents, carers and young people develop their communication skills.
-
Specialist Health Visitors for Perinatal Mental Health: Managing caseload of mothers and support for professionals.
-
Talking Transitions: An innovative Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) pilot project focusing on transition for children into primary school.
-
Umbilical Chords: free music-making sessions for Southend parents and their babies
-
Work Skills: practical opportunities for parents of children aged under 4 who are looking to get back into work.
-
The Hub: a creative space in the heart of Southend. Drop in and enjoy playtime with your child, or attend one of our family sessions.
-
IDVA Project: Individual support for parents of children aged under four years old who have been exposed to domestic abuse living in Southend.
-
Food Club: The Family Action project, Food On Our Doorstep (FOOD) provides families with good quality food at a low cost, while also reducing food waste.
-
Southend Storysacks: Free storytelling and activity packs to borrow for children up to the age of 4
-
Sparkles Sensory Storytime: For children who are 4 years of age or younger and have ANY form of disability / SEND
Previous A Better Start Southend Projects:
Buggy Active/Activise /Active Families (end date: 2016)
Building Bridges (end date: 2016)
Community Parents Programme (end date: 2016)
Connecting Parents (end date: 2016)
Five to Thrive (end date: 2016)
Incredible Years (end date: 2015)
Mellow Parenting (end date: 2015)
Sunshine & Stories (end date: 2016)
Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) (end date: June 2019)
Being a Parent (end date: January 2020)
HENRY (end date: August 2022)
Volunteer Home Visiting service (end date: March 2023)
