Wrexham Flying Start
Update for SCOGS – October 11th 2010-10-11
Health and Social Care Team
Parenting group provision continues in Flying Start areas with both an Incredible Years and the Solihull Approach being offered on CaiaPark this autumn. The Solihull Approach is proving to be very popular, with 90% attendance from the 10 week Llay group.
A new Ante-Natal Drop In is starting in Plas Madoc which is a combined venture by the Midwife and Health Visitor. This will be offered on a 4 week rolling programme, to reach those pregnant women and their partners who find accessing midwifery services away from Plas Madoc rather difficult. In addition the Midwife is co-facilitating a repeat Bump and Beyond with the Teenage Pregnancy Midwife and Teresa Foster Evans in Hightown, this proved to be a successful programme in March of this year.
Our Breast Feeding Co-Ordinator/Health Visitor is re-launching the Caia Ma’s Bar Group, alongside the Peer Group Training which is currently being delivered in the Leisure Centre in Plas Madoc. She is training potential Peer Supporters from across Wrexham, including some Flying Start mothers. The Llay Ma’s Bar continues to be well attended, and a further 6 months funding is currently being sought to support it.
Closer working relationships are in the offing with the LAP/NAP manager, with a view to increase our collaborative delivery plans. An amended LAP/NAP is already being delivered within the Flying Start Childcare settings, and this approach seems to meet the varied needs of the families, the same may be adopted by the Family Workers for group work in the future. Other proposals are being submitted for groups across other Flying Start areas, offering Cook and Eat sessions, Home Safety, and other health and social care related topics, as chosen by the families following a consultation process.
Over the summer Flying Start staff have taken many families on educational and social learning experiences to such places as Dangerpoint, Ty Mawr, Chester Zoo and Allyn Waters. These experiences for families without access to their own transport are received with great enthusiasm, and enable parents to identify what other activities may be undertaken with little financial outlay, but with maximum child and family benefit.
Despite a significant quarter of sickness absence, the team have undertaken approximately 1,500 home visits to 644 individual parents or children. The cap for Flying Start is 710 families, which indicates that the majority of Flying Start families received a home contact this quarter. This does not include those families attending Groups, either delivered by us or by partner agencies.
In addition the team have various staff trainers for TAC, Child Home Safety, Freedom Programme,Butterflies, Baby Massage, LAP/NAP, Family Link Nurturing Programme, Baby Signing and soon Makaton.
Close links with Deb Jones, Lead Teacher for Flying Start have resulted in better take up of Childcare places and a greater focus for us on ensuring we keep childcare settings full where possible. The new method of scrutinising the caseloads has enabled the Health Visitors to take full responsibility for which children of which age they take in as transfers in or new births, to keep a good balance in each area and ensuring that the scheme continues to delivery in all the designated areas. This is a continuous process which Alison Howe and I undertake monthly, providing data to each Health Visitor to inform this process. The downside of this is that we continue to be unable to take every child who moves into the Flying start areas, and likewise all new births as we are working to the cap of 710 families. However where possible we negotiate with the generic staff and agree to take in families who would most benefit from the multi-disciplinary nature of Flying Start in Wrexham.
If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the Hafod Y Wern office. Tel: 01978 265395
Fran Dale, Team Leader Flying Start Wrexham 11th October 2010
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