Beyond ABSS

We are working with organisations that provide our services to make sure families can access similar support wherever possible. We are also looking for any possible gaps that may appear if a service ends and guiding families to other similar support.

ABSS will also be collecting information on the difference the programme has made to families over the last ten years to show what services have made the greatest difference to the lives of babies, children and families.

At the moment, we don’t have all the answers but we’ll know more soon. We speak regularly with organisations such as Southend City Council and local NHS organisations to understand how early years services will look beyond March 2025.

City Family Community Interest Company (CFCIC) was set up as part of the work done by the A Better Start Southend (ABSS) programme. It will play an important role in continuing the work done by ABSS in the community.

City Family will use the lessons learned from ABSS to make sure their services work well for parents, children, and families. They will focus on providing help in ways and at times that suit families best.

The City Family YourFamily Information and Guidance Service is now open six days a week, including evenings and Saturdays.
If you are expecting a baby or have young children, you can contact experienced Navigators for support, information, and connections to local services and organisations.

You can reach the service by phone, email, direct messaging, live chat (WhatsApp), or in person.
To learn more, visit www.cityfamily.org.uk

Parents and families who currently use our services will be contacted directly by the service provider and will be the first to receive updates. We will also share information about changes that will affect parents, families, and the organisations delivering our services on our social media, newsletters and website at www.abetterstartsouthend.co.uk/beyond-abss

At the moment, we are working with services to plan out what the next steps are. That way we can help families access the same or other similar support services.

Each service will have their own plan for the future, but some are not in place yet. We’ll be talking with everyone affected by what happens next, so they can understand what this means for them and what they can do.

As soon as we have confirmed information to share, those affected by changes will be the first to know.

We will also be providing updates on our Projects webpage at www.abetterstartsouthend.co.uk/about/projects/

A Better Start Southend was set up through the National Lottery Community Fund. This was a charitable grant of over £36 million for a ten-year period only. The grant has helped us to support many important services which have had a positive impact across the City.

We’ve also learnt a lot, which will help to improve services in the future.

We are working with services to plan for the future and explore other grants and funding opportunities.