Children and Young People Newsletter Issue 17 January — March 2016

Top children’s charity to manage 14 children’s centres

in Brent Leading children's charity Barnardo's are managing chil-dren's centres across the borough as part of a new part-nership model with Brent Council which will keep open the highly valued centres.

Brent Council's Cabinet has awarded a four-year contract for managing the operations of 14 children's centres to Barnardo's, which already runs more than 170 children's centres in the UK. Its centres aim to promote the inclusion of all children, their families and carers in a safe and nurturing environment.

Barnardo's has worked in partnership with Brent Council to manage the transfer of children's centre staff to the charity, and the council will retain an oversight of the centres' performance and Ofsted inspections.

The four-year contract will save Brent Council around £750,000. Brent Council has experienced significant reductions in central government funding, which contrib-utes to running services such as children's centres, and must save around £54million over the next two years.

The decision by the Cabinet was made after a significant consultation with parents, community groups, voluntary sector, staff and schools about the future of children's centres in the borough.

Councillor Ruth Moher, Lead Member for Children and Young People, said:

"We are in an era of unprecedented cuts to local authority finances which means it is becoming harder than ever to protect the front-line services so prized by our residents”.

Lynn Gradwell, Director of Barnardo's in London, said:

"We are thrilled to have been awarded this contract and excited to start working with the many thousands of Brent families who use these children's centres.

The new model for the children's centres was implemented in October 2015.

The 14 children's centres which will

transfer to Barnardo's are:

Treetops, Wykeham Wembley Primary Preston Park Alperton The Welcome + Barham Annexe Granville Plus Three Trees Hope Harmony St Raphael's Church Lane Mount Stewart Willow

Three other children's centres - Fawood, Curzon Crescent and Challenge House are excluded from the partnership agreement and will continue as present.

Teams from Barnardo's and Brent Council came

together to meet families and staff at

Willow Children's Centre in Wembley

Search, Find and Solve - Brent Advice Matters Check out a new source of help for people in Brent - Brent Advice Matters - BAM for short. BAM is Advice4Renters, Age UK Brent, Ashford Place, Brent CAB, Brent Community Law, Brent Mencap and CVS Brent working together. We are creating an online information and advice website that’s easy to use gives straight forward information and advice on what to do and makes searching for help and an-swers simple. www.bam.org.uk brings advice about many different problems people in Brent face into one place. We’re doing the hard work for you by checking hundreds of advice websites, fact sheets and on-line resources bringing them together into one place taking you through easy-to-understand steps with plain English and no jargon. If you can’t find what you need; check the local advice services directory or send us a question online to get things moving and help us improve by sending us feedback

Welcome to January to March issue of Wembley Locality Newsletter. I hope you have had a restful and enjoyable time over the Christmas holiday. Members of our Locality Advisory Board, the team and I would like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2016. Many of you will be aware that our children’s centres are now being managed by Barnardo’s. I am sure you will all join us in extending a very warm welcome to them. With Bar-nardo’s support and guidance we look forward to continuing to provide you with a good quality service over the period of their partnership with Brent Council. We are very grateful for your contribution and support in helping us to develop services that meet you and your families needs. We are always looking for ways to improve what we do and we really value your views and opinions about the things that need improving. We are also very grateful to the volunteers who have been assisting us to run activities at the centres. Being a volunteer is a two way process. It enables you to support your local centre as well as help you to learn new skills that could lead to employment. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact the centre and ask for the Community Involvement Worker. Finally, please take a look at the new timetable. I am sure that you will find something of interest.

Managers Update

Ruth Joseph Gillian Thompson

Children’s Centre Network Managers

Did you know that a high number of people are using A&E for minor conditions. This means longer waiting times and resources diverted from those who need

urgent attention. Who should you speak to in an emergency and who can you speak to about a minor condition?

What is NHS 111?

You can call 111 if you need medical advice urgently. Call them when it is urgent but not serious. 111 is open day and night 24 hours and every day including Saturday and Sunday. Calls are free – even from your mobile

IMPORTANT! You can contact emergency

services via SMS if you are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech

impediment. Visit www.emergencysms.org.uk for more information or to register your

phone.

What is an emergency?

Choking Severe bleeding

Heart attack - clot in heart Stroke-clot in brain

Severe asthma Severe burn

Severe allergy Head injuries

Meningitis Unconscious

Call 999 in an emergency

What is a minor condition?

Small cut Migraine

Coughs and colds Splinter

Minor asthma Minor burn

Minor bruise Swelling

Nose-bleed Minor allergy

What can we do for minor conditions?

Speak to your pharmacist for coughs, colds, aches and pains.

Self-care ( first aid box at home)

Visit your GP for other health problems.

When your GP is not there and it is not serious then we call NHS 111

Health Section

Published by Brent Early Years and Family Support in partnership with Barnardo’s Brent Civic Centre, 6th Floor Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 0FJ Children and Families Information Service Tel: 020 8937 3001 www.brent.gov.uk/cfis

Alperton Children’s Centre, Alperton Community School Annexe, Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4PW Tel: 020 8937 3860 Bus routes: 79, 224, 83, 297, 487, 245

Wembley Primary Children’s Centre, Wembley Primary School, East Lane, Wembley, HA9 7NW Tel: 020 8937 5590 Bus routes: 79, 204, 245, 297

Welcome Children’s Centre, 116 Chaplin Road, Wembley, HA0 4UZ Tel: 020 8903 9541 Bus routes: H17, 18, 79, 92, 182, 204, 223, 224, 297

Preston Park Children’s Centre, College Road, Wembley, HA9 8RJ Tel: 020 8937 5980 Bus routes: 79, 204

Through our children’s centres, Brent Council and Barnardo’s are helping local families give their children the best start in life. If you are a parent or carer with a child aged five or under, you can use our children’s centres - pay us a visit and see the help and support we can offer. You can find us on: www.facebook.com, www.direct.gov.uk or www.netmums.com

There is a new booking system in place at Wembley Primary Children's Centre for all the sessions offered. This is so that more families will have an opportunity to come to the sessions and contribute to the growth of the Centre.

Please also keep an eye out for our Speech and Language Therapist's Workshops in the Children's Centres. These workshops are available to help parents improve communication and interaction with their child.

UPCOMING classes and activities

See the Wembley Locality timetable for more information

Zumba

English and Maths

Family learning

Healthy Eating

Parenting courses and

Workshops

Antenatal Yoga

Fathers in Brent

Don’t miss the chance to play and have fun with your child.

Pick up the Timetable and always find new and interesting

activities to do with your children.

Time passes too quickly to lose the opportunity.

Locality services

Stay and play groups

Family support

Support for young parents

Support and information on how to get in to work

Speech and language support

Childminding network

Guidance on how to get training

Sessions for dads and male carers

Breast feeding support

Baby health clinics

Information and support for expectant parents and carers

Opportunities to become a volunteer

Information and advice for parents who are worried about their child’s health and/or development

Classes for parents and carers

Parenting classes

Special Needs group

And much more