This article has been added with permission from the Family Centre Services.
Hertfordshire’s Family Centre Service is made up of the Public Health Nursing Service (Health Visitors and School Nurses) and the Family Support Service. Our purpose is to support children and families to have the best start in life, develop well and thrive.
We provide families with children aged up to 11 years with a wide range of information and support on key areas relating to family life. Pregnancy, birth and the first 24 months can be tough for many mothers and fathers.
Developing friendships with other new parents has lots of benefits; we provide a number of opportunities for new parents to meet before and after having a baby; for example, we work with local Midwives and Health Visitors to run the Preparing for Baby antenatal programme.
We are also here to support families when they face key challenges, below is the range of support we have on offer.
- Worries about your child’s learning and development. We can help with fun activities for your family to enjoy at home or more structured workshops.
- Your child’s additional needs. Did you know that we can help families with Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by providing information, advice and guidance?
- Feelings of isolation. Are you feeling lonely or isolated from your local community? We are here to help.
- Your own wellbeing and confidence. We can support you via one-to-one sessions or through parenting groups.
- If you are experiencing domestic abuse. Support around developing healthy relationships is available.
- Challenges with your child’s behaviour. We can support you via one-to-one sessions or parenting groups. To find out about groups please look at the Hertfordshire Parenting Directory https://directory.hertfordshire.gov.uk or our Facebook pages.
We also offer Volunteering opportunities to gain new skills and experience that can lead to further training or employment opportunities and Adult Learning opportunities providing families with workshops and courses for self-development well-being and confidence as well as qualifications and training.
What do I need to do next? If you have a child or children under 11 years old please register with us. It’s free and quick and easy to do! Thousands of families across Hertfordshire are already registered and accessing our services.
Please see ‘How to Register’ for further details. Once you’ve registered with us, we will contact you.
How do I ask for support? You can ask for support by: Contacting us by telephone 0300 123 7572 or via our Facebook or Instagram accounts.
