Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director of Children’s Services

The Assistant Director of Children’s Services submitted a report (previously circulated) at the request of Members to provide an update on the position in relation to services offered for young parents during and post Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions.

It was reported that the Building Stronger Families Service for Darlington Borough Council based at McNay Street Children’s Centre, prior to the start of the Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in March 2020, offered a high level of support by way of targeted delivery through early help assessments and universal groups focusing on parents’ mental health, practical skills, and children’s development. 

Parents to be and new parents were able to attend a range of groups across the town, including a pre and post birth group for teenage parents, with midwives working with teenage parents on hand to conduct antenatal checks and several groups aimed at babies up to 12 months and their parents, focussing on parents’ well-being and helping them to promote the development of their babies in all areas.

Unfortunately, once the working from home directive came from Government, and the centres were closed, all these group closed as well however it was reported that work immediately began to try to get as many of these services online and the Children’s Centre Facebook page became somewhere to access advice and guidance, as well as practitioners delivering live and pre-recorded sessions on child development, behaviour management and other related issues; and over the summer of 2021 the groups run from the children’s centre began to re-open with Covid 19 safe measures in place from July, with the bulk re-opening in September 2021.

Members discussed the importance of interaction with children and parent through playgroups and other informal networks and that this connection may have been lost during the pandemic and questioned how these links were being continued.

Joanne Benson, the Service Manager, Building Stronger Families advised Members of the methods of communication and media plans in place to link in to all these groups to support families and to reach out to those hard to reach families.