Early support

Universal services in Harrow provide support to families to help build resilience and to improve outcomes for children and young people, Harrow’s Early Help approach builds on this offering universal and targeted consent-based support to families enabling all to access evidence-based provision at any point in the their life, including prenatal stages up to and including the age of 25 ( for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) our approach responds to the needs of children and families collaboratively working with partner agencies to meet those needs.

The universal offer threads through evidenced parenting strategies & the appropriate curriculum to ensure the team are offering quality support, advice and guidance whilst identifying any needs as early as possible.

The parenting offer is made up of:

• Group based parenting & development opportunities (universal groups)
• Targeted groups – eg, TALK Focus & Special Play times
• 1:1 advice appointments
• 4 to 6-week blocks of 1:1 parenting including direct role modelling of strategies
• Workshops on key development & parenting topics eg, Behaviour - Alternatives to physical chastisement, sleep, routines, feeding & oral health
• Lunch time workshops for working parents
• Bespoke 4-week blocks of parenting support (tailored to key topics related to the cohort of families attending)
• Full parenting course, e.g. Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities & Triple P

Targeted work

RPC: Reducing parental conflict: Fathers/male carers group and one plus one online learning

Co-parenting advice and guidance: Providing group work as well as 1:1 support for families where there is no conflict but would like support around how to co parent more effectively including the whole family.

Domestic abuse community group: For mothers and their children who need DA recovery and emotional support this is offered as a 12-week face to face programme.

Happy Families Course: A whole family approach the aim being to Improve parenting skills, Improve interactions and relationships between parent and child.

Healing together Trauma informed: the team have undergone training to deliver trauma informed programme support children with angry feelings though 1:1 and small group work to in house and within link schools for ages 6-10 years and 11+ focusing on anxiety providing a base and space for young people to regulate their feelings in a safe calm environment.

Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities (SFSC):  A 13-week programme for parents who have children aged 5-11 years looking at cultural influencers, alternate methods of managing behaviour offering parenting tools to support the parenting journey

Talk Focus: supporting families with a child with speech, language and communication challenges from 18 months to 4 years (not in an education setting)

Let’s Play Together: A structured play group for 4 weeks for families with children 0-4 in need of a more intensive support focusing on playing together, reading time together, managing routines and behaviour

Triple P:  Building parents skills to help them raise confident healthy happy children and teenagers, enjoy stronger family relationships, and create protective safe environments

Special Play Times: An evidence-based parenting session focussed on those on the journey to diagnosis, just diagnosed or with concerns of emerging SEND. The team offer practical support advice & strategies to help parenting a child with challenging behaviours, advice around home learning & environments

Parents As First Teachers: Qualified PAFT practitioners provide evidenced based activities focussing on the neuroscience behind your babies' development. The team have a clear focus on you as parents being your child’s first and most influential teacher. This is an opportunity to explore your attachment, babies development & fun ideas around how to support your baby to learn & grow. The group has a different focus each week and explores arrange of great home learning ideas. It is also a brilliant opportunity to meet lifelong friends & socialise with other families

Fathers Group: Focussed on engaging working dads in the universal offer where evidenced based parenting strategies & developmental advice can be provided. It also offers an opportunity for fathers to build a network within the community

Weaning Workshop & Parties (including specialist): To support families’ journey when introducing healthy solid foods alongside breast or bottle feeding.

Our licensed external programmes

• One Plus One: Strengthening positive relationships training course
• Own my life:  12-week online or in-person course to help women who have been subjected to abuse to regain ownership of their lives
• Brilliant Parents: A range of workshops provided to support families on key parenting topics eg; Building teenager survival skills
• Learn Harrow: Providing a range of Baby Massage, First Aid & Ante-natal courses
• Hope Harrow
• CAAS: Providing evidenced based parenting support to those on the journey to or with a diagnosis of ADHD or ASD

Key Partnerships for parenting support

• Special Needs Community: peer support, advice & advocacy for parents of children on the journey to or with a diagnosis of SEND
• Harrow Parent Carer Forum: Harrow Parent Carer Forum, is made up of a group of parents of disabled children. We represent the voices of families of SEN/disabled children from birth to 25 years living in the London Borough of Harrow.

Evidence based universal offer

Parents As First Teachers (PAFT), Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): As well as parenting advice and guidance via workshops face to face or virtual, in groups or 1:1. Health advice and guidance is signed off via Public health team.

Birth to 4 and 5- to 10 years out of term time: Designed to meet the emerging needs of local communities using business intelligence & parents feedback & planned for using the EYFS / KS Curriculum & evidence-based parenting programmes PAFT & SFSC

Youth offer 9-19 (up to 25 SEND offer)

Homestart weekly stay and play where referrals to their organisation takes place

Perinatal Mental health support for parents who are pregnant up to the 1st year after the birth and require support with their mental health – including referrals, baby massage and 1:1 appointments.

Feeding support facilitated by feeding lead and trained parent volunteers providing support for parents with breastfeeding and formal feeding.