Health and Social Care

The inclusion of the Family Centre as one of the founding partners in the Carlisle West Children's Centre is a recognition of the work that the Centre staff have achieved in community engagement and programme delivery. The contacts made through the programmes of the Family Centre have provided an awareness of both specific and felt needs, which enables an approach from the bottom up in the delivery of services relevant to those needs. This development has linked the work more closely in partnership with the statutory sector and other community organisations and ensures a joined-up approach to the programmes offered.

The main thrust of the work of the Family Centre continues to be supporting the regeneration of the community by the community, and over recent years it is becoming recognised that this is now occurring. The programmes try to ensure that all felt needs are met and that they are inclusive and open to all to attend. There is great diversity, from parent and toddler provision to senior citizen groups, from luncheon clubs to keep fit programmes, from family trips away to free hairdressing provision, from health provision to parenting classes.

Working in close partnership with Barnardo's, the Family Centre is developing a range of practical parenting provisions that builds upon the concept of Rainy Day Play, Triple P and shared parenting programmes which have been a significant success in the area and highlighted the need for a continuation of provision. The partnership brings the expertise of Barnardo's in this area of development plus our local community knowledge and contacts together to match the needs of people in the area.

The concept of parenting skills can be seen as something that you must attend or be in danger of referral to Social Services. However, both partners have recognised the need to develop preventative models of practical parenting that pick up on the uncertainties many modern mothers feel having perhaps experienced minimal parenting themselves.

The programmes deal with the practical issues rather than the theoretical understanding, and focus on the felt needs of the group. As a result each group is different rather than following one set model. It is hoped in the coming year to link this provision into a wider practical health parenting provision, again focusing on preventative work rather than responding to referrals.