Introduction
In this strategy we set out our collective vision, priorities, and commitments for the next 3 years.
This Early Years Strategy outlines the work of professionals, partners and practitioners working with families and children from conception to age 5 in Coventry. The Councils role as an enabler and leader is reinforced through a commitment to partnership working and professional development for practitioners working across the city.
It aligns the priorities within several initiatives and wider strategies focusing on what we want to achieve and how we will achieve it through greater integration of service aims and resources. It supports the delivery of the ‘ONE COVENTRY Council Plan 2021 to 2030’.
For children and their families, this strategy is about improving outcomes and tackling inequalities, leading to the increasing economic prosperity of the city over time.
This document and the associated key activities have been developed by the Early Years Service, SEND: Birth to Five Team, Public Health, Health, Early Help, Libraries, Therapy Services, Family Health and Lifestyles Service and Family Hubs.
We are working as a ‘coalition’ respectful of different service priorities, targets, and cultures, but committed to aligned plans for children from conception to age 5.
This strategy, 'Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day’ brings together many of Coventry’s Health and Local Authority early childhood services, it also encompasses the valued work of voluntary and community sector partners.
At an operational level we provide a graduated approach offering universal targeted and specialist services. We act to empower families to provide their children with a loving, stable, family life via access to a tailored support and early intervention where it is needed.
Coventry is one of 75 trailblazer Local Authorities funded to deliver an enhanced Family Hub delivery model. The Start for Life offer is a national coordinated framework providing universal prevention and early intervention services for children, young people, and their families from conception to 19 (or 25 for those with SEND). It is the delivery vehicle for a range of Government programmes including Start for Life, the Healthy Child Programme and Supporting Families.
The universal service offer includes the key ‘Start for Life’ services of health visiting, midwifery, specialist breastfeeding support, infant feeding advice, mental health support, safeguarding and services relating to SEND.
Families access these services within Family Hubs and outreach locations with services also delivered in the home or online.
Family support with early education at home is facilitated through a new ‘playing and learning together’ framework.
The free early education and childcare offer is provided by a mixed market offering flexible choices, which facilitates Government plans for the expansion of places, including development of more school-based provision, for wraparound and holiday care.
Our early years pathway from conception to 5 years of age is designed to be inclusive and improve equality of access to universal and targeted support by working closely with voluntary sector partners with good reach into diverse communities.
All levels of support promote prevention, early identification, and intervention, working with families who might benefit from more help at various times as their children grow and develop, to prevent early problems from escalating.
Age 2 to 5 years
- booking appointment 8 to 10 weeks
- Antenatal midwifery appointments in the community and hospitals
- Healthy Start vitamins for mothers during pregnancy and beyond.
- Health visitor antenatal contact from 28 weeks
- Family Nurse Partnership/Early Intervention HV for parents 21 and under
Maternity services
- Neonatal follow up programme for all low-birth-weight babies discharged from neonatal intensive care unit from 3 months until a child turns 2 years.
- Postnatal midwifery appointments
- Healthy Start vitamins for children from birth to 4 years.
- Health Visitor 6 to 8-week review
- Child health clinics in Family Hubs
- Breastfeeding support
- Parent and Baby Psychology service (PBPS) and Perinatal Mental Health Service (PMHS)
- Primary 8 to 12-week immunisations
- Bumps, Babies and Beyond sessions in Family Hub locations
From birth
- Neonatal follow up programme at 6 and 12 months.
- Baby massage for babies 3 to 6 months
- New parents’ group for babies aged 4 to 6 months
- Child health clinics in children’s centres and health clinics
- Breastfeeding support
- Bumps, Babies and Beyond sessions in Family Hub locations
- Immunisations at 12 months
6 to 12 months
- Neonatal follow up programme at 24 months.
- Developmental reviews at 12 to 15 months and 2-2 years 6 months
- Parenting programmes
- 0 to 5 year old activities such as stay and plays and Chat, Play, Read at Family Hubs and libraries
- SEND activities including Early Support and stay and play sessions – ‘Together We Can.’
- Talking Tots
- Free entitlements for 2-year-olds
- Portage service
- Family Learning Services
- Easy Peasy app