Stretford’s Best Start Family Hub has recently introduced more services to its ‘one stop shop’ offer to help and support families in their local community.
Previously known as Stretford Children’s Centre, the Poplar Road centre was refurbished last year and renamed as a Best Start Family Hub – part of a network across Trafford that aims to make it easier for families to access support, advice and guidance.
The Stretford Hub now offers a wide range of services and information to support families from pregnancy to 19 years, including dedicated sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As part of the Hub offer, families with babies and toddlers can take part in activities including baby massage and stay and play sessions, and over the school holidays there are activities for all the family (including an upcoming visit from the Easter Bunny!)
Parents can access the Family Hub’s speech and language therapists for support with concerns about their child’s language development, and attend Little Talkers drop-in sessions for advice on improving speech and communication.
There are also dedicated services for parents, including groups where parents can meet together for advice and support, with individual assistance also available if needed.
The Hub’s friendly team can easily be contacted by phone or email, and families are very welcome to call into the Hub to find out more about what is on offer.
As well as daily activities taking place in person in Family Hubs, families can also find support via Trafford’s bespoke Best Start Family Hub App, which contains up-to-date information for families on a wide range of topics, tailored to their child or children by age.
The Stretford Hub forms part of the Best Start Family Hub network now in operation across Trafford. There is a similar dedicated facility in Partington (formerly known as Partington Children’s Centre) plus satellite hub spaces in development at Sale West Community Centre and Broomwood Primary School.
Cllr Karina Carter, Trafford’s Executive Member for Babies, Children and Young People said:
“The aim of our Best Start Family Hub network is to offer helpful support to any family who needs it, at the right time for them. This could be anything from advice on sleeping and feeding for a newborn baby, to company and friendship at toddler play sessions to parenting advice when navigating the tricky teen years.
“Every parent will know that we all need support at different times, and getting help early, before little worries become bigger problems, is a key part of the Best Start Family Hub offer.
“We’re delighted to have in place our dedicated team of Family Help Navigators, meaning families can pop in at any time for face-to-face advice or information. Our Family Hub App reinforces this offer to enable families to access a wealth of information in one place online to support their children’s progress and healthy development.”