AfC First 1001 Days Enhanced Support Service

Description

Achieving for Children is seeking to appoint a provider for the delivery of a new targeted support service for the most vulnerable families with newborns and children with additional needs in the First 1001 days from conception to 2 years in London Borough of Kingston and Richmond. The Childcare Act 2006 places the following duties on Local Authorities: - To improve the well-being of young children (birth to 5 years) in their area and reduce inequalities between them - Make arrangements to secure that early childhood services in their area are provided in an integrated manner in order to facilitate access and maximise the benefits of those services to young children and their parents. - Together with local commissioners of health services and Jobcentre Plus to consider whether the early childhood services they provide should be provided through children’s centres in the area. In order to support an integrated offer through the Family Hubs and connect new parents, particularly those with presenting vulnerabilities, to the extensive hub offer we are seeking to commission a voluntary organisation to provide home visiting to new parents and pregnant mothers and/or parents with children aged under 2 years with parental mental health, finance pressures and/or histories of domestic abuse. This ensures an ongoing offer of home visiting, although the age range will reduce. The First 1001 Days Enhanced Support Service will ensure that parents who are identified as isolated are prioritised, with a model of home visiting and then encouraging access to and engagement with the Family Hub offer - including online and through joint visits to the hubs and sessions. To ensure priority is given to the most vulnerable families, the aim is to establish an identification and referral pathway for this smaller cohort through the Perinatal Mental Health team, Hospital and Health Visiting Service. The parents would be those who are receiving MESCH (or similar targeted Health Visiting Service) and would benefit from additional support and guidance.

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