Retford Central Children’s Centre Changes to services delivered for families
Overview
Background:
Following the closure of Tall Trees Pre-school in December 2019, the Council is keen to make better use of the Retford Central Children’s Centre building. This consultation is to find out local views from families and other stakeholders on these two options:
Option 1: For Retford Central Children’s Centre to become a Family Hub for families with children aged 0-19 and young people up to the age of 24 if they have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Option 2: For Retford Central Children’s Centre to become a Maternity Hub for expectant parents and new parents.
What is a Family Hub (Option 1)?
Building on the success of Children’s Centres in providing a wide range of services for children under 5 and their families, the Government are now keen to expand this idea across the age range, for families with children/young people aged 0 – 19 (24 for those with special educational needs or disabilities).
A Family Hub is a local support centre where families with children and young people aged 0-19 (24 if SEND) can access a broad range of services to overcome difficulties and build stronger relationships amongst family members. Family Hubs provide early help and intervention with the aim of improving outcomes for children, young people and adult members of the family.
As the building is next door to the Retford Young People’s Centre, we think it would make a good location for one of these new Family Hubs as young people will continue to have their own dedicated young people friendly space and parents and younger children can use the Children’s Centre building next door. Services at Family Hubs will include parenting programmes and one to one support, clinics and appointments with the Healthy Families Team (health visitors and school nurses), midwifery appointments, breastfeeding sessions, activities aimed at supporting parents to be ready for work, appointments with specialist services such as healthy lifestyles support, domestic abuse services, housing and benefits advice.
What is a Maternity Hub (Option 2)?
Since the pre-school closed, the main user of Retford Central Children’s Centre has been the Midwifery Service from Doncaster Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Trust. They have been offering appointments most days of the week during the pandemic, whilst the building wasn’t being used much by others. This has worked well so far, and an option is that the Council leases the building to them, so that it becomes a Maternity Hub.
Since the National Maternity Review (2015) there has been a national drive for midwifery services to be based and delivered in the community rather than at hospital as this is better for mothers to be and their babies.
A Maternity Hub will be the place where mums to be and their partners come for ante-natal appointments, parent education classes and where post-natal appointments are held once their baby is born.
Doncaster Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Trust would like Retford Central Children’s Centre to be their community Maternity Hub for Bassetlaw. They would still offer clinics on certain days at other Children’s Centres across the district and where necessary at hospital. Babies wouldn’t be born at the Maternity Hub – mums to be would still have the usual choices available to them.
This option, if chosen, will include the Children’s Centre Service still retaining a small room at Retford Central, for one to one family appointments.