Early help and support available to be highlighted during month of action

Amanda Clarke, chair of the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children's Partnership

The borough’s safeguarding partners are coming together throughout October to share help, advice and practical tips for parents, carers and families at an earlier point to support them in being thriving, happy families.

Rochdale Borough Council and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMR CCG) provide early help and support for families across the borough.

Every family goes through challenging times at some point, and it is ok to ask for help. Early help means working with you and your family at an earlier point, with the support you want to help you be the very best family you can be.

You may need support with your baby’s development, help with childcare or guidance on when immunisations are due for your baby. You may be concerned with how your child is doing at school, need mental health support for you or your child or you may need relationship support with your parents as arguments at home are having an impact on your child. With issues just like this there is lots of support available.

Amanda Clarke, chair of the children’s safeguarding partnership, said: “It’s really important that our local families know that they can get help at an early stage, before little problems become big ones. All partners are passionate about ensuring the families in our borough thrive and there are is lots of support out there. Life is full of challenges so it’s okay to ask for help – don’t suffer in silence.”

Rochdale Borough Council also provides training and support around relationships issues that can have an impact on children and has hundreds of trained relationship champions across the borough working in children’s centres, housing and health.

Children’s centres provide lots of baby sessions, parenting support courses as well as health sessions and check-ups. The council’s family learning service also provides lots of classes for parents and children to learn together.

Every family with a child aged 0-5 years in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale has a named health visitor who can offer advice and support to you and your family from pregnancy and birth, through the early years, to primary school. They can give advice on lots of things including infant feeding, healthy weight and nutrition, child development, accident prevention, oral health and emotional health and wellbeing. Health visitors deliver care in your homes, children’s centres, health centres and community based-locations and work closely with a wide range of other professionals.  

Parents and carers of pre-school children can also get health and wellbeing support and advice at weekly well baby clinics held at locations across the borough.

A detailed neglect strategy has been agreed for the borough to ensure that professionals across all our partners respond as effectively as possible to neglect.

If you or someone you know is in need of support as a parent or carer, it’s okay to ask for help. Call Rochdale Borough Council’s early help and safeguarding hub on 0300 303 0440 or for information on support available visit:

• www.ourrochdale.org.uk