Family Hubs And Start For Life Programme Sign-up Form

Use this box to answer for perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support (Max 150 words) The area has long established perinatal health pathways with the local provider (SLAM). A full review of the services with associated action plan was undertaken in 2019. This identified actions which align with Family Hub expectations, particularly around pathways. Our ambition is to: Continue to build on the work of the newly established perinatal health group comprising of commissioners (mental health a CYP and children’s centres) SLAM (perinatal mental health provider, parenting and children’s centre support (Council), health (midwifery and health visiting) which will lead on pathway integration from the universal to the targeted offer. Create integrated pathways. Whilst universal, pre referral services are available, through PMH Champions, PIP, HV, IAPT’s, joint midwifery/psychology clinic, these pathways are not sufficiently integrated. Work will be undertaken to further develop these to bridge universal and more specialist services Development a co-ordinated peer support network (reflecting the diversity of the borough) which features across the different funded streams of a Family Hubs model. We will build on the strong practice within the network of PMH champions and VCS partners through ongoing workforce development and capacity building. Produce a core competency framework for staff and volunteers, which includes support for people with mild mental health and/or parent- infant relationship difficulties. This will enable supportive and flexible drop-ins to be delivered. Part of this competency will be to identify when parents require access to more targeted support as part of the revised pathways. Develop the virtual offer as part of the wider digital work in the transformation programme Croydon has a small PIP team which is delivered in partnership with the VCS, embedded within the community, providing emotional health and wellbeing support for families and young people. We will seek to expand this offer to ensure that support and advice is available to families through appropriately trained staff and co-location arrangements across family hubs and associated venues. 6

Use this box to answer for early language and home learning environment (Max 150 words) Croydon is focussing on developing its partnership approach to support Early Language and the Home Learning Environment. The approach requires refreshed awareness of the needs of children and families, ensuring the workforce is equipped to assess and respond to parents by “making every contact count”. Work must be undertaken to refresh pathways for support, ensuring that parents/carers are aware of this alongside training and awareness raising across the early years and Family Hubs workforce. We have sound foundations to build on. Chatterbox is the early language intervention which utilises the Balanced Model and is delivered as a partnership. Children Centre programmes, Libraries, Family Learning, the Book Start programme in partnership with the Book Start Trust, Parent Champions and practitioner training programmes are also established. Our ’go further’ activity will focus on: Including baseline HLE competencies in Level 1 of the Family Hubs competency framework to ensure that practitioners from across the network understand the benefits of HLE and possess the skill set to provide timely (and where necessary targeted) support to parents making “every contact count”. Training staff to be confident in using an evidence based early language assessment tool, the early language identification measure31 (ELIM). Establishing a systems approach that ensures the full range of partners have access to resources and training required to confidently support families including access to 2-, 3- and 4-year-old funded early education. Building HLE into the Family Hubs peer support programme which is a key ‘go further’ aspiration across the funded workstreams. Increasing direct provision of evidenced based HLE interventions in Hubs Enhancing and joining up the digital offers as part of the wider Family Hubs digital transformation programme Embedding the partnership Quality Assurance and data cycle that will ensure the offer is flexible, reaches target groups and links with 2-year-old review and pathways for support. 7

Use this box to answer for infant feeding support (Max 150 words) Acknowledging the work that will be required to deliver some of the minimum requirements, including tailored infant feeding support* for under-served groups, consistent provision of infant feeding support across different services, work to achieve Level 3 of BFI, the focus of our infant feeding ‘go further activities’ will be on: Building on previous peer support experience and learning to enhance and expand this offer across the borough (face to face, virtual and outreach including targeted areas with low breastfeeding rates). Establishing Family Hub drop-in sessions to compliment the virtual offer Providing infant feeding support as part of the Level 1 Family Hubs competency Ensuring that we reach under-served groups, through the contribution and involvement of voluntary and faith communities in the co-production of infant feeding information and service delivery. Developing services and support which reflect the diverse needs and circumstances of the local infant feeding population (linking with Parent Infant Mental Health Services) Working with health partners and commissioners to ensure that an out of hours offer is available and accessible to families. Develop Breast Feeding friendly environments through the strategic food and healthy weight partnership. Focussed support on healthy eating and healthy start will be available to all families, particularly under-served groups Re-establishing Croydon’s multidisciplinary infant feeding working group *This will include shared & consistent messaging, education and understanding of safe formula feeding, connections with under-served groups including fathers/partners, younger mothers, more vulnerable parents/carers 8

Use this box to answer for parent carer panels (Max 150 words) Our existing Best Start services have had a good record of engaging with parents and seeking their feedback. There are thriving peer to peer groups run by Best Start Parent Champions, who also have a long history of using the ABCD approach in the Early Years. There is good engagement in the Maternity Voice Partnership (MVP) and with a recent ‘Whose Shoes’ event as part of the HEARD (maternal inequalities for ethnic groups). In our go further we want to make a further impact in how the parent voice is heard and leads to tangible changes through: Developing a support and training offer for parent panel representatives utilising the practice within the borough such as the parent champion model. A regular programme of surveys and focus groups in addition to panels as part of the feedback process. These will be used to demonstrate how services have developed/improved in collaboration with service users, with a particular focus on ensuring that processes reflect the needs and views of seldom heard groups. Enabling flow of information though clear pathways of communication to ensure parent panels have strategic influence across all sectors including Council and ICB committees. Developing a strategic communication pathway including with the Executive Mayor and Children’s Cabinet Member to share insights from parent carer panels to inform future planning and decision making. 9

Use this box to answer for publishing Start for Life Offers (Max 150 words) The existing Best Start Offer has a web presence and Facebook page. We would like to strengthen the breadth of the social media presence, ensuring that communication methods are suitable for different seldom heard groups including the digitally deprived. As part of our ‘go further’ activity, we will: Build on the existing social media presence which promotes Croydon’s Best Start offer (0-5yrs). Progress a planned refresh of the current electronic Early Help service directory to make explicit links and reference support available including services for families with children under 5. Engage with families about how and when they would prefer to access the Best Start for Life offer (including which digital platforms, physical spaces, mode of connection is preferred). Peer supported/parent champions will also connect with groups and/or individuals who don’t access community resources or know of support available. Explore use of SMS, WhatsApp and other free to access digital resources to fully optimise access to information. Develop physical materials in partnership with families, displaying and making these available within community and family hub buildings, thereby enabling partners to provide support and signposting. Provide training to Family Hub Practitioners around the navigation of Start for Life information, to enable onward sharing with families. Section 4 – additional delivery expectations 10. Do you commit to delivering all additional delivery expectations across the programme as outlined in Annex N in the programme guide? Yes No 11. If you selected ‘no’ in response to question 11, we cannot confirm your participation in the programme. Please provide an accompanying explanation. Section 5 – delivery planning As noted in the introduction, we will ask for further information on your delivery plans once you have successfully completed the sign-up process. The information you provide below will help support these conversations and enable us to begin supporting local authorities to deliver. 10

12. Please provide an indicative high-level outline of how you will use the first tranche of funding to support delivery in the first four months of the programme. (Max 250 words) The first (4 months) tranche of funding will be spent across six main areas, focused essentially on the mobilisation and Best Start for Life requirements. These include: Staffing: Recruitment and employment of the core transformation team members - Family Hubs Transformation and Programme Manager (FT) - Family Hubs Project Support Officer (PT) - Family Hubs engagement and peer support lead (FT) - Family Hubs digital staff (FT) - Family Hubs workforce and training lead (PT) Backfill for staff working on the project or attending additional training events Engagement: Co-ordination of workshops/engagement and partnership briefing events that will enable information sharing and opportunities for families to inform development of the hub model. - Partnership-led engagement events with families. (Costs: Room hire, creche . refreshments, printing and travel) Recruitment events for peer supporters (Costs: Room hire, creche refreshments, printing and travel) Small incentives to ensure that smaller seldom heard groups have the capacity to engage with activities such as the delivery planning and Best Start service developments Recruitment to the parent carer panels Communications: Co-production of the FH logo, rebrand and launch Design work and communications for the first version of the start for life offer, and developing forums to support continued development of the literature and branding Needs assessment Additional data analyst and engagement hours to enable the delivery of Needs Assessment Expenditure necessary to enable the first physical Family Hub to be up and running. Digital Initial work required to create the platform that will support the new Family Hubs offer. Best Start for Life funded programmes Expanding capacity in the existing programmes that already meet Family Hubs requirements. 11

13. Please outline your provisional family hub opening milestones in the first half of 2023. Regardless of starting point, we ask you to open family hubs as quickly as possible to support families and commit to delivering visible change within the first half of 2023. This may look different in each local authority area. You will not necessarily meet all the minimum expectations at the point of opening your family hubs, but you will be expected to do so by the end of the three-year programme funding period (end of 2024-25). Recruitment to transformational posts (including Programme Manager and Digital Support) with leadership arrangements confirmed. An interim Transformational Lead identified. (Dec 2022). Establish governance and reporting arrangements, including terms of reference to underpin Family Hubs transformation work. This will include a steering group, supported via EIF if successful (Dec 2022) Produce an engagement strategy which is owned by the partnership steering group and informed by local population analysis. (1st iteration Dec 2022). Undertake an EIA (informed by children, young people their families, local communities) via workshops and through the future establishment of Family Engagement/Parent Carer panels (1st iteration Dec 2022) Mapping of interdependencies across services including Early Years, SEND, Digital strategies and engage leaders to ensure aligned planning around ‘go further’ options (Dec 2022). Develop a detailed Delivery Plan using approaches of co-production/design with all key partners (Dec 2022) Task and finish groups established and relevant work programmes in place (Jan/Feb 23) Plan and develop area need assessment activity with the support of EIF if successful (June 23). Through partnership co-production activity, identified family hub assets (namely initial premises/buildings/networks) will be confirmed and initial work to re-purpose selected building to commence (March 2023) Identify pilot arrangements, including locality, staffing and 0-19/25 services which can be ‘tested’ to inform family hub model borough wide, noting capacity and cost implications (June 2023). Parent panels (including recruitment and training) to be established (March 2023) Publish Start for Life offer, whilst also working alongside comms team to prepare information regarding the future development and launch of Family Hubs in Croydon emphasising services 0-19, 25 with SEND. (June 2023) Section 6 – trailblazers Local authorities interested in becoming trailblazers should tick 'yes' in the box below and complete the application form at Annex A. In completing this form, you should consult the Family Hubs and Start for life programme guide and the trailblazer guide. 12

Local authorities interested in becoming trailblazers will need to submit the general sign-up form and the trailblazer application form ahead of one of the two application waves outlined in the introduction. 14. Would you like to apply to become a trailblazer for the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme? Yes - please also complete the trailblazer application form in Annex A. No Section 7 – further support We are looking to understand what further support you might need during the programme. Any information you provide will be considered provisional information only. What you include here will not impact your funding or ability to sign up for the programme successfully. 15. Please describe your current family support set up. This should describe how you deliver your family support services, for example whether through existing hubs or other models, and whether you already have an integrated approach with other local services. 13

(Max 250 words) Families can currently access a broad continuum of family support through voluntary (including peer support and community builders), community, commissioned and more targeted intensive service provisions. There is a well understood approach to the support available for families under 5 with a locality hub and spoke model of children’s centre provision, alongside commissioned parenting support and public health nursing. Midwifery clinics and child development reviews are accessed through children’s centres where families can access wider support and advice. There is early language support available through centres in partnership with SALT. Evidence based parenting programmes are available and can be accessed through community venues, schools and children’s centres as well as online. Information regarding services is available through council websites and through dedicated Facebook channels. Early Help is promoted as a shared and partnership responsibility and the commitment to providing the right support, through the right service at the right time is well understood. The current practice promotes both relational and strengths-based approaches within a systemic context. The principle of ‘curiosity’ and a commitment to understanding the ‘whole family’ narrative is promoted, alongside a commitment to developing ‘trauma informed’ practices. ‘Council led’ services (aligned towards families with more complex, possibly multiple presenting needs) can be accessed via the front door of Children’s Social Care through the completion of a ‘Multi Agency Referral form’. At present, some services are delivered within a locality operating model, enabling interventions to respond and attune more sensitively to the demographic population. An intensive keywork intervention offer, (delivered through the council’s ‘Family Solutions Service’) operates out of three established ‘Locality Hub’ buildings. These are situated within high needs areas of the borough and provide communal space for partner agencies and services to co-locate. Section 8 – expressing interest in support from the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) Additional support is available from the EIF to help 15 local authorities complete or update their local needs assessment and use this information to put together an action plan which is built around their local priorities. Please see Annex Q of the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme guide for more detail. 16. Would you be interested in support from EIF? Yes If yes, please complete questions 17 and 18. No 17. If you would like to be considered for support, please list the name and title of your Strategic Champion: Shelley Davies Operational Champion: Debby MacCormack 14

strategic and operational champion for your engagement in this support. 18. If you would like to be considered for the support provided by the EIF, please describe why your local authority area would benefit from this? When answering this question, you should refer to: How up to date and comprehensive your current local needs assessment is. Your current level of system maturity (refer to Table 1 of Annex Q of the programme guide for further information). Any other information you feel would highlight your suitability for this support. (Max 500 words) The most recent Croydon Children and Young People’s (summary) needs assessment was undertaken in 2018 (attached, a full CYP dataset as part of the wider JSNA is available via on the Croydon Observatory https://www.croydonobservatory.org/jsna/ ). There are also separate products for SEND and Children Looked After. Significant information exists which can contribute to an updated or new needs assessment. Some of this is outlined below. We know that current information is not joined up and is held in different areas in the Council and beyond. We would welcome support and challenge of the EIF in creating a new Needs Assessment that will effectively inform the Family Hubs priorities and direction. In preparation for the Family Hubs sign up, we have undertaken an analysis of current services, approaches and options to develop our work with children and families. We have identified gaps and opportunities for service

and the trailblazer application form at Annex A for one of two 'trailblazer selection waves'. The deadline for the first wave, which will have up to eight places, is 31 August 2022. The deadline for the second wave, which will have the remaining places (i.e. seven places plus any unfilled places from wave one), is 30 September 2022.