Families can access a wide range of help and support at The Knowsley Family Hub at The Pride Centre in Northwood, Kirkby.
The Family Hub brings families, partners and services together under one roof, making help and support easily accessible to local families.
It provides services that help give expectant parents and babies a great start to life, supporting parents through parenting classes, learning support, midwifery, health visiting, infant feeding advice, child development support and perinatal mental health support.
The aim is to make services easier to navigate and more joined-up, ensuring families receive the right service at the right time.
Feedback from families access the support available has been extremely positive.
Speaking about the infant feeding support, parents said:-
“I have got nothing but amazing things to say about these sessions. I’ve never felt like anything I’ve asked has been too much or too silly for them to help with or support through. I’ve messaged through the night when I was struggling with feeding and have always been answered really quickly and it’s appreciated so much. I honestly think I would have given up long ago without the support I’ve received. Both of my babies love coming to the group to play and for snacks haha! I’m so grateful and recommend to everyone I speak to”
“I really struggled with breastfeeding at first, I thought I had an idea of what I was doing after reading loads of material and attending webinars, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. I couldn’t have done it without the support and advice from Kathryn from breastfeeding buddies. The checking in phone calls really helped me with my journey. I’m almost 11 weeks in now and absolutely loving it! It really does get so much better after the first few weeks and breastfeeding buddies are there to reaffirm this and all of your questions and worries!”
“Thank you for the support you gave me in the first few weeks of feeding Jimmy. The support helped me through. A fantastic service!!”
“Lucy help me to relax and provided reassurance. Having someone recognise how I was feeling was a huge help. She understood the situation and provided options to move forward. I appreciated the support and her celebrating the wins with me!”
“Kathryn and the team have beyond helpful for me and my breastfeeding journey. I doubt I would still be breastfeeding now if it wasn’t for their ongoing support.”
Speaking about the support received through the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) programme, parents said:-
“The most useful thing about attending was learning things that I wasn’t aware of and talking about it with others.”
“You’re not alone and everyone is dealing with things. My self-esteem and confidence have improved by being around other people in similar situations.”
“It’s shown me how to deal with things better and be calm. I realised that when you stay calm you can see things clearly.”
“The most useful thing I’ve learned is to like myself and be nice to me.”
“I feel a lot more happy and so are my children. We have better relationships.”
“I have learned to socialise more and get to know people in the same situation without being anxious.”
“It has made me more confident in meeting new people and has improved my insight into being the best parent/role model for my baby.”
“I’ve always struggled with many things in life and my confidence has been a main one. I feel that doing this course has brought that out in me.”
Cllr David Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, added:
“It’s great to hear that the support and services we are providing through the Knowsley Family Hub really is making a difference.
“Such services and support really are a lifeline at times for people and its great to hear the feedback and the positive impact the support has had.
“We are continually reviewing our offer to ensure it is aligned to local needs, so please share speak to a member of the team if you feel like the offer could be enhanced in any way.”
You can check out the full range of activities available through the Knowsley Family Hub on the current timetable.