Supporting Our Families

Family Hubs have funded a website for families and professionals with information, advice, activity details and links for whole family services through the Early Help Partnership that was launched on 30 October 2023

Homepage | Early Help Nottingham

Funded services

Start for Life Offer

Infant Feeding

Perinatal Mental Health & Parent Infant Relationships

Parenting Programmes (0-2yrs)

Home Learning Environment

Parent Carer panels

Wider services 

Early Years daycare (in 2 sites)

Midwifery and 0-19 Public Health Nursing

Department for Work and Pensions – weekly drop-ins (Better off calculations, Financial stability and debt advice)

Housing Solutions drop ins

Early Years SEND drop ins / Downs Syndrome support group

Early Years Speech and Language drop ins

Parenting programmes / Family Support Services

NSPCC – Pregnancy In Mind & Domestic Abuse Recovering Together

Young parents connect

Adult Learning

Oral Health

Mental health and wellbeing services

Domestic Abuse support

Also funded by Family Hubs 

Easy Peasy App: Home learning activities, advice and resources for families

Visit: easypeasyapp.com/nottingham-city

 In Our Place:

Resources and online courses for parents, carers, grandparents and young people.

The courses cover a range of topics and offer support on matters like pregnancy, children's needs and emotions, understanding teenage brains, relationships, trauma and much more.  Sign up to understand your child’s feelings, as well as your own, as you go through life as a family u They can be accessed online anytime and are available in multiple languages.

 Visit: https://inourplace.co.uk/nottingham/   to sign up and get access

Communication and Interaction 

Little Moments Together Cards | Words for Life

Download your free Little Moments Together cards also available in different languages

• Cards for families with 0 to 9 month olds.
• Cards for families with 10 to 24 month olds.

How will the cards help my baby start talking?

The prompts in the cards will give you new ideas for conversations, which will support you to introduce new words to your baby. This will help them begin talking and communicating.

Balanced System pathway

We have a speech and language pathway programme in Nottingham City that can be translated into different languages that may help parents to support  language and communication development.

The Balanced System® speech, language and communication pathway

Speech and language Helpline

NEW speech and language therapy advice line. This service is available for parents and carers of children aged 0-19, and for young people aged 16-19, who would like advice about communication development. Our speech and language therapists are ready to provide support and guidance on any concerns you may have regarding your child's talking or communication.

The advice line is available to those living in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire (excluding Bassetlaw). You can contact us at 0300 123 3387 (Option 1) during the following hours:

Monday and Tuesday: 9am - 4:30pm (closed 12:30pm - 1pm)
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9am - 12:30pm

Speech and language therapy advice line | Latest news around Nottinghamshire Trust | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Dummies and Bottles

Dummies are fine when your child is tired or upset but take it away so you can hear what they have to say.

https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/2017_07_07_free_ELY_resource_-_Information_and_advice_on_dummies.pdf

Signs to support communication 

Makaton - YouTube

Using real objects to support communication

Visual support on Vimeo

Song Cards  

Use these song cards to give your child opportunity to make choices of what song they would like to sing.

Tiny Happy people

Tiny Happy People (@bbctinyhappypeople) • Instagram photos and videos

Attachment and Child development

Stages of attachment

The first two years of a child’s life are the most critical for forming attachments (Prior and Glaser, 2006)⁴.

During this period, children develop an ‘internal working model’ that shapes the way they view relationships and operate socially. This can affect their sense of trust in others, self-worth and their confidence interacting with others (Bowlby, 1997)⁵.

Attachment and child development | NSPCC Learning

Understanding Cognitive Development: Different Stages and Piaget’s Theory - BBC Tiny Happy People

Child Development Milestones

Baby Development Milestones in the first year

Bing Videos

What to Expect When A parents guide to child development PDF

Check list from Stoke shared by Emma Walton 

Child development tool - Google Drive

DfE Early Support journal 

Untitled (councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk)

We are really excited to release three vodcasts to support parents with some behaviours that can be difficult to deal with including, Biting and Spitting, Hitting, Kicking and Throwing and also PICA.

The vodcasts aim to provide useful tips and strategies to support parents and practitioners understand why behaviours may happen and what they can put in place to help reduce or prevent these behaviours occurring.

The vodcasts can be found below

Hitting, Kicking and Throwing   https://youtu.be/Fp1kbFdR9pE

Why do children hit, kick and throw and how do we manage this type of behaviour.

Biting and Spitting   https://youtu.be/FvbC-e4weIs

Why do children bite or engage in self-injurious behaviour and how do we manage it, 

What can we do to support children who spit and how do we manage it.

PICA  https://youtu.be/LKTc4A9DjyM

What is Pica, how do we support  it and what strategies can we use to prevent it.

Healthy Eating for toddlers

Healthy Eating for Children - Learn About Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins and Mineral Salts

Bing Videos

Baby and toddler meal ideas - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Talking to your child when you’re out and about | Words for Life

Further information

• Baby and toddler meal ideas
• Dealing with child behaviour problems

More in Weaning and feeding

• Your baby's first solid foods
• Help your baby enjoy new foods
• Baby and toddler meal ideas
• Children's food: safety and hygiene
• Drinks and cups for babies and young children
• Food allergies in babies and young children
• Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
• Vitamins for children
• What to feed young children
• Young children and food: common questions

Fussy Eaters

Fussy eaters - NHS

It's natural to worry whether your child is getting enough food if they refuse to eat sometimes.

But it's perfectly normal for toddlers to refuse to eat or even taste new foods.

Do not worry about what your child eats in a day or if they do not eat everything at mealtimes. It's more helpful to think about what they eat over a week.

If your child is active and gaining weight, and they seem well, then they're getting enough to eat.

As long as your child eats some food from the 4 main food groups (fruit and vegetables; potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; dairy or dairy alternatives; and beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins) you do not need to worry. Find out more about what to feed young children.

Gradually introduce other foods and keep going back to the foods your child did not like before. Children's tastes change. One day they'll hate something, but a month later they may love it.

Keep offering a variety of foods – it may take lots of attempts before your child accepts some foods.

Tips for parents of fussy eaters

• Give your child the same food as the rest of the family, but remember not to add salt to your child's food. Check the food labels of any food product you use to make family meals.
• The best way for your child to learn to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Try to eat with them as often as you can.
• Give small portions and praise your child for eating, even if they only eat a little.
• If your child rejects the food, do not force them to eat it. Just take the food away without saying anything. Try to stay calm, even if it's very frustrating. Try the food again another time.
• Do not leave meals until your child is too hungry or tired to eat.
• Your child may be a slow eater, so be patient.
• Do not give your child too many snacks between meals – 2 healthy snacks a day is plenty.
• Do not use food as a reward. Your child may start to think of sweets as nice and vegetables as nasty. Instead, reward them with a trip to the park or promise to play a game with them.
• Make mealtimes enjoyable and not just about eating. Sit down and chat about other things.
• If you know any other children of the same age who are good eaters, ask them round for tea. But do not talk too much about how good the other children are.
• Ask an adult that your child likes and looks up to to eat with you. Sometimes a child will eat for someone else, such as a grandparent, without any fuss.
• Changing how you serve a food may make it more appealing. For example, your child might refuse cooked carrots but enjoy raw grated carrot.

Potty and toilet training

How to potty train - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Potty training: how to start & best age to potty train - ERIC

Potty training at nursery and school - ERIC

Toilet Training (for Parents) | Nemours KidsHealth

Potty and toilet training advice for parents and carers (actionforchildren.org.uk)

Toileting Routine  

 Hand Washing Poster

Sleep

Screen use should be restricted and especially not to be used 1 hour before bedtime but instead use fine motor skill activities like drawing or sticking or sharing a story book as this helps the child’s body to get ready for sleep. Please see info below on sleep if this is an issue for you.

• Sleepy Foods  
• Sleep Diary  
• Helpful Tips for Completing a Sleep Diary  
• Melatonin Boosting Bedtime Routine  
• Safer Sleeping - Information, Guidance and Resources

   

Car Seat Safety 

Car seat safety: A guide to keeping your child safe in the car

Choosing a baby car seat - NHS

Car Seat Safety By Age: Infants in Rear-facing Seats

Bing Videos

Children with disabilities or medical conditions

The same rules apply for children with disabilities or medical conditions, but they can use a disabled person’s seat belt or a child restraint designed for their needs.

A doctor can issue an exemption certificate if a child is unable to use a restraint or seat belt because of their condition.

Using a child car seat or booster seat

Children must normally use a child car seat until they’re 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.

Children over 12 or more than 135cm tall must wear a seat belt.

You can choose a child car seat based on your child’s height or weight.

Button Battery Safety

BB-display-poster-a4.pdf

Your GP can give you advice about quitting smoking.

Find out more about how to quit with nicotine-free medicines or quit using nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), on the Better Health website.

More in Quit smoking

• NHS stop smoking services help you quit
• Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking
• Passive smoking
• Paan, bidi and shisha
• Stopping smoking for your mental health

Passive smoking - NHS visit the NHS website for more information and advice

Passive smoking

Second-hand smoke is dangerous, especially for children. The best way to protect loved ones is to quit smoking. At the very least, make sure you have a smokefree home and car.

When you smoke a cigarette (or roll-up, pipe or cigar), most of the smoke doesn't go into your lungs, it goes into the air around you where anyone nearby can breathe it in.

Second-hand smoke is the smoke that you exhale plus the "sidestream" smoke created by the lit end of your cigarette.

When friends and family breathe in your second-hand smoke – what we call passive smoking – it isn't just unpleasant for them, it can damage their health too.

People who breathe in second-hand smoke regularly are more likely to get the same diseases as smokers, including lung cancer and heart disease.

Pregnant women exposed to passive smoke are more prone to premature birth and their baby is more at risk of low birthweight and sudden infant death syndrome (cot death).

And children who live in a smoky house are at higher risk of breathing problems, asthma, and allergies.

How to protect against second-hand smoke

The only way to protect your friends and family from second-hand smoke is to keep the environment around them smoke free.

The best way to do that is to quit smoking completely. If you're not ready to quit, make every effort to keep your cigarette smoke away from other people and never smoke indoors or in the car.

You should:

• always smoke outside
• ask your visitors to smoke outside
• not smoke in the car or allow anyone else to

Take steps NOW to stop smoking.

The risks of passive smoking

Second-hand smoke is a lethal cocktail of more than 4,000 irritants, toxins and cancer-causing substances.

Most second-hand smoke is invisible and odourless, so no matter how careful you think you're being, people around you still breathe in the harmful poisons.

Opening windows and doors or smoking in another room in the house doesn't protect people. Smoke can linger in the air for 2 to 3 hours after you've finished a cigarette, even with a window open. Also, even if you limit smoking to one room, the smoke will spread to the rest of the house where people will inhale it.

Children and passive smoking

Passive smoking is especially harmful for children as they have less well-developed airways, lungs and immune systems.

Children who live in a household where at least 1 person smokes are more likely to develop:

• asthma
• chest infections – like pneumonia and bronchitis
• meningitis
• ear infections
• coughs and colds

Children are particularly vulnerable in the family car where second-hand smoke can reach hazardous levels even with the windows open.

To protect children, smoking in cars and other vehicles carrying children was banned in 2015. It is against the law to smoke in a private vehicle if there's a young person under 18 present.

Read about the law on smoking in private vehicles on GOV.UK.

How safe is e-cig vapour?

Using e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, does not produce tobacco smoke, so the risks of passive smoking with conventional cigarettes do not apply to e-cigs.

Research into this area is ongoing, but it seems that e-cigs release negligible amounts of nicotine into the atmosphere and the limited evidence available suggests that any risk from passive vaping to bystanders is small relative to tobacco cigarettes.

But as a precaution, it's best not to vape around babies and children if you can avoid it. Young children also often copy adults.

Support with Bereavement for families

The Centre is open to children aged 3 to 18 and we offer a welcoming and safe environment for them and their families to receive the help and guidance they need at one of the most devastating times in their lives.

It’s really easy to refer to our services which are offered completely free of charge.

Make A Referral | Children's Bereavement Centre

Contact Details Telephone 01636 551 739

E-mail info@childrensbereavementcentre.co.uk

Website www.childrensbereavementcentre.co.uk/

For Parents

Family Bereavement: How to support children through grief and loss | NSPCC

What is SIDS?

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, previously known as cot death) is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby where no cause is found. Thankfully it is uncommon, but it does still happen. It’s important to be aware of the steps you can take to lower the risk.

Although it’s a hard thing to talk about, it’s really important to be aware of SIDS as there are things you can to lower the risk of it happening. Taking these steps not only help to keep your baby safer, they can bring you reassurance and peace of mind too. These steps are often very simple, and you can find them throughout our safer sleep advice.

Other terms used by professionals

The term SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome is used when the death of a baby is sudden, unexpected, and there’s no obvious cause.

You might hear some other terms as well. Professionals sometimes say ‘sudden unexpected death in infancy’ (SUDI) or ‘sudden unexpected death in childhood’ (SUDC) if the baby was over 12 months old. They might also use the term ‘sudden infant death’.

Sometimes a sudden and unexpected death can be explained by the post-mortem examination. For example, the examination might find an underlying infection or metabolic disorder. If the death remains unexplained, that’s when the terms SIDS, SUDI, SUDC or ‘unascertained’ might be used.

What causes SIDS?

It’s not known what causes SIDS. For many babies, it’s likely that there are a number of factors involved during the early months while they are most vulnerable. Even though the exact cause is unknown, there are some factors that can put babies at a greater risk.

These risks include babies getting too hot, having their faces and heads covered for example by blankets or toys. As well as, babies having their airways obstructed, or being around cigarette smoke. However there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of SIDS which we explain in greater detail throughout our safer sleep advice.

What age are babies most at risk of SIDS?

Nice out of ten (91%) SIDS deaths happen when babies are six months old or less. The most vulnerable time is while they’re under three months, but it’s important to follow safer sleep advice until they are 12 months old.

Follow our safer sleep advice for the first twelve months. It’s evidence-based and includes practical, simple steps such as sleeping your baby on their back, on a firm, flat surface in their own separate sleep space, clear from extra items such as toys and pillows.

How can SIDS be prevented? What are the biggest risk factors? 

While it’s not possible to remove the risks completely, you can lower it considerably by following our safer sleep advice. These steps are especially important for babies who were born premature or at a low birth weight, as they are at a higher risk of SIDS.

Some key steps for safer sleep are: 

• Sleep your baby on their back for all sleeps, day and night. This can reduce the risk of SIDS by six times compared to sleeping them on their front. 

• Share a room with your baby for the first six months. This can halve the risk. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear, flat, separate sleep space, such as a cot or Moses basket, in the same room as you. 

• Keep your baby smoke-free during pregnancy and after birth. This is one of the most protective things you can do for your baby. Around six in every ten (60%) sudden infant deaths could be avoided if no baby was exposed to smoke during pregnancy or around the home.

• Never sleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby as this can increase the risk of SIDS by 50 times. If you feel like you might fall asleep while you’re on a sofa or armchair, place your baby on a firm, flat surface.

• Do not co-sleep with your baby if you or anyone in the bed has recently drunk any alcohol, smokes or the baby was exposed to smoking in pregnancy. Do not co-sleep if you or anyone in the bed has taken any drugs or medication that make you feel sleepy. Do not co-sleep if your baby was born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or weighed under 2.5kg or 5.5 pounds when they were born.

Does SIDS have any symptoms?

There is no evidence to suggest that any babies who have died from SIDS had any symptoms.

Research around the world are currently engaged in a number of research projects aiming to find any underlying causes of SIDS, factors that might increase the risk, and any warning signs.

The hope is that this  this research  will give doctors information to help them identify babies who are at higher risk so they can work with parents to keep their babies safe.

Visit the Lullaby trust website for further advice and Information about SIDS

What is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)? | The Lullaby Trust

Disability Living Allowance 

Charities who can support parents and carers to claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for their child with SEND  

charity-and-grant-information-002-pdf.pdf (nottinghamcity.gov.uk)

Rainbow s Parents and Carers Support Group

Home - Rainbowpcf

Rainbow Parents Carers Forum | Ask Lion - Nottingham City Directory

Ask lion 

A Directory of services available for Parents and Families in Nottingham City.

ASKLiON | Ask Lion - Nottingham City Directory