Giving Children the Best Start in Life

Connecting Medway Families with the Children & Family Hubs Start for Life Offer

This session aims to help professionals have effective conversations with parents & carers in order to support healthy pregnancy, child development, positive parenting and general health & wellbeing.  We will also provide resources and signposting information to help families access additional support through Medway’s Children & Family Hubs & Start for Life offer.

Our one day course uses the Making Every Contact Count framework to support  conversations with parents and carers about their children’s development and health & wellbeing.  It aims to help professionals who are working with families build their knowledge and skills around a wide range of topics such as perinatal mental health, child development & SEND, infant feeding, food & nutrition, healthy pregnancy and positive parenting.

During the course we will cover:

·       Why it’s important to give children the Best Start in Life

·       An introduction to Family Hubs & Start for Life and how it can support better health and education outcomes for children

·       Key health messaging in relation to topics such as infant feeding, mental health, child development, parenting and maintaining a healthy pregnancy – to ensure you are able to provide accurate and up to date information

·       How to help families access Medway’s Start for Life and Children & Family Hubs offer using resources & signposting information

·       Communication techniques to help navigate conversations positively and sensitively. (Including Motivational Interviewing and active listening skills)

The course is aimed at any professionals who work with or come into contact with parents, carers and children.