Finding innovative new ways to provide services to families

Following government guidance preventing non-essential travel and on social distancing, here in Southend, we have found new ways to deliver our portfolio of over fifteen services, including by using the Zoom video-conferencing service, social media and Youtube.

As an example, our pioneering breastfeeding support groups ‘Bump to Breast’ – delivered by Southend YMCA – typically offer face-to-face, group-based support to families choosing to breastfeed, but are now offering their invaluable assistance to new mums via the Facebook Live tool.

This allows parents to ask questions and receive answers in real time, and can be viewed retrospectively. A recent live broadcast session on the benefits of breastmilk, led by Southend YMCA, was viewed by over 600 parents. This just serves to show that the need for breastfeeding support is there, even though ‘normal’ life has paused.

Our Perinatal Mental Health service, which helps new parents adjust emotionally to parenthood, is now also offering support to families remotely, either via Skype, Facetime or a phone call.

The service, which is run by a team of Specialist Health Visitors employed by the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, is offering invaluable and constant support, which is crucial at a time like this where anxiety and other emotions may be more intense.

Alongside these efforts, our normal promotion of services and the programme as a whole has been adapted to suit the current climate, and we are also offering some fun, playful activities across our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, which can be done with very young children at home to help them learn as they play. These social media activities are formulated with our specialists from all three of our work streams to incorporate valuable advice and tips.

It truly is fantastic that all of the A Better Start partners, including health, education and social care agencies across the Borough, are firmly committed to continuing support for parents at this time of high anxiety, and our brilliant delivery partners have all found imaginative new ways to continue supporting vulnerable families.

We know many parents will be anxious and in some instances struggling, and we want to send out a very clear message, we are still available to offer support.

Jeff Banks is Director of A Better Start Southend.

About A Better Start

A Better Start is a 10-year project set up by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.

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The National Children’s Bureau is coordinating an ambitious programme of shared learning for A Better Start, sharing the partnerships’ experiences in creating innovative services so that others working in early childhood development or place-based systems change can benefit.

Find out more on The National Children's Bureau - A Better Start.