Children's Centres

COVID-19 Service Information

Updated 25 April 2022.

Our Children’s Centres are now offering most of our services face-to-face. To enable you to enjoy our services safely there will be hand sanitiser available on entering the Children’s Centre and throughout sessions, and Children’s Centre staff will ensure there is adequate ventilation.

We politely ask that if you are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 that you do not attend the Children’s Centre, and follow NHS advice.

You can find out more on our Facebook page - @erchildrenscentres.

What is a Children's Centre?

East Riding Children’s Centres are friendly, welcoming community spaces that offer a range of activities and services for children and their families to give every child the best start in life. We know that being a parent is a tough job, so we offer the right help at the right time, without judgement so that our families feel confident, safe, healthy and happy.  

Who are Children’s Centres for?

East Riding Children’s Centres are here for the whole family; from the moment you know you are expecting a baby, and until your child is 9. Children’s Centres offer a range of activities and services for children and their families, to give every child the best start in life. We welcome everyone who cares for children, so our centres are open to parents, grandparents, foster carers and childminders.

How can Children’s Centres help? 

Children’s Centres have experienced, qualified and friendly staff who provide support to families in different ways. We offer tailored support through our family support work, which can be done one to one in the family home or during sessions at one of our Children’s Centres.

We can help with: 

• support during pregnancy
• becoming a new parent and how to care for your newborn
• safe sleep advice
• breastfeeding support and advice
• toilet training
• child development including speech and language
• managing children's behaviour
• healthy eating and keeping active
• emotional health and wellbeing of you and/or your child
• family routines, including bedtime routines.

Sessions and activities:

• Antenatal parent education 
• Child health clinics 
• Infant massage 
• Feeding information and advice 
• Early play and learning sessions 
• Family links nurturing programme 
• Home learning opportunities including Bookstart and bags of support
• Talk time – supporting your child’s communication/language development 
• Sensory room 
• Take and make.

 You can search for sessions and activities online:

What's on

You can download a What's On programme for each Children's Centre:

Find a centre

Advice and support is also given around:  

• help to access funded childcare places
• benefits
• family finances and budgeting
• housing
• form-filling and attending appointments
• signposting to adult education
• support to return to work
• where to go for specialist advice and support e.g. speech and language specialist and mental health and wellbeing.

Where is my nearest Children's Centre and what's on there?

Find out where your local centre is and what activities and sessions are available:

Find a centre What's on

How can I join my local Children's Centre?

To join your local Children's Centre please download and complete the registration form below, and then take it to one of our Children's Centres, or send to us in the post. 

East Riding Children's Centres Registration Form (pdf 67kb)

To find out postal addresses of the centres please use the finder below:

Find a centre 

How do we use your data?

Read more about how we use your data on our  Privacy notice for Children’s Centres page.

How can I make a referral?

If you feel your family could benefit from further support from the children's centre you can refer as a parent or a professional by completing a Request for Service form below and return to your local children's centre:

EHP Request for Service Form (word 44kb)

Who should I contact if I need urgent help/support or if I am worried about a child/young person? 

If you need immediate advice you can contact the Safeguarding and Partnership Hub (SaPH) to log your concern and receive advice:

Tel: (01482) 395500

Email: safeguardingchildrenshub@eastriding.gov.uk

Where can I get help with parenting advice?

There may be times as a parent where you feel a little help and guidance would be useful. This may be advice on things like routines or behaviour management, or it could be simply reassurance and support during the different stages of your child’s development. 

East Riding Children’s Centres have staff who are empathetic and experienced in all aspects of parenting and can offer support either informally during sessions, on a one to one basis or by booking you a place on the Family Links Nurturing Programme. We’re here to help you with the tricky bits and share with your successes. To find out more or get in touch please contact your local Children’s Centre. 

Find out more about the Family Links Nurturing Programme.

What is the Family Links Nurturing Programme?

The Family Links Nurturing Programme is a universal programme designed for families of children aged 2 -11 years. It aims to build emotional literacy in adults and children by supporting positive parenting and exploring the emotional needs behind behaviour.

The Family Links Nurturing Programme is 10-week group-based programme and the learning methods include following the 'Parenting Puzzle' handbook, the use of role-play and sharing of experiences.  

The model is built around four core elements:

• self-awareness and self-esteem
• appropriate expectations
• positive discipline
• empathy.
  

The programme covers communication, effective strategies, behaviour management and encourages adults to take time to look after themselves.

To find out more about the Family Links Nurturing Programme please contact your local children’s centre.

Which Children’s Centres have been awarded The Portage Stamp of Approval?

Portage is a home visiting early educational service for families who have a baby or young child (0-5 years) with additional needs. Portage workers work in partnership with parents to help them to teach their child new skills. Referrals are received through the Early Years Support Support team.

The National Portage Association Stamp of Approval Scheme is an award that formally recognises and acknowledges inclusive settings that work in partnership with parents and ensure high-quality provision for children with additional needs.

For more information about the National Portage Association and the Stamp of Approval visit the Portage hub on the NPA website.

The Stamp of Approval - the Portage hub (external website)  

The Following Children’s Centres have received the Portage Stamp of Approval:

• Marshlands Children's Centre
• Driffield Children's Centre
• Hessle Children's Centre and Brough Children's Centre
  
• Kingsway Children's Centre
• Withernsea Children's Centre

What is the Baby-Friendly Accreditation?

The Baby-Friendly Initiative is a global programme between The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF. It is based on a set of evidenced-based standards that are designed to provide parents with the best possible care to build close and loving relationships with their baby and to feed their baby in ways which will support optimum health and development.

UNICEF UK (external website)

The Baby-Friendly Initiative helps to ensure that services are providing a supportive informed environment for all families. In Children's Centres we are assessed on:

• support for pregnant women
• support for Infant Feeding
• close and loving relationships.

Services across maternity, neonatal, health visiting and Children's Centres implement the standards in stages over a number of years. At each stage, they are externally assessed by UNICEF UK. The stages look at policies and procedures, staff training and families experiences. When all the stages are passed services are accredited as baby-friendly. 

The Gold award is the highest award to be achieved as part of Baby-Friendly Accreditation. East Riding Children's Centres are very proud to have achieved the Gold award jointly with our partners at Humber NHS teaching foundation trust. We are the first integrated service in the country to achieve the award as well as the first Children's Centre service. The Gold award demonstrates that our services have the leadership, culture, monitoring and progression in place to sustain the baby-friendly standards and ensure families living in the East Riding receive the best possible care. 

East Riding Children's Centres provide a range of services to help support you and your baby to develop close and loving relationships including ante-natal parent education, baby massage, babies playing and infant feeding support. If you would like any support or more information on how we can support your journey with your new baby please contact your local Children's Centre.

More information can be found on Baby-Friendly Initiative (external website)

What is the Healthy Weight Service?

The Healthy Weight Service is about helping families with young children to adopt healthier lifestyles, this can be through individual help and support, group sessions or through short Let's get healthy parent education programmes.

The Healthy Weight Service for Families aims to:

• increase parents knowledge about healthy weight and keeping their infants, children and themselves happy  
  
• increase parents confidence to make changes to improve their health and maintain a healthy weight
  
• make the healthy choice, the easy choice for expectant and new parents in the East Riding of Yorkshire
  
• encourage increased adoption of healthy behaviours, specifically increased physical activity, healthier eating and smoking cessation in pregnancy and beyond
  
• increase social capacity in local communities for example, via the Breast Buddy and Peer Support initiatives.

Locations covered

The Healthy Weight Service is currently offered at Beverley, Bridlington, Goole and Withernsea Children's Centres.  

Please contact one of the centres for more information:

Find a centre

Where can I find your resources?

We have produced a useful guide to help adults speak to children about the coronavirus outbreak:

Talking To Children About COVID-19 (pdf 1mb)