PRJ1229- Community-led Support Service to Improve Parental Mental Health

<p>This service is to provide social support and health education, to improve the outcomes for babies, young children (0-3years) and their families, with a particular focus on families who may not otherwise be accessing health and social care services with a focus on black and minority ethnic parents and non-English speaking communities. The service offer should be co-produced in order to best meet the needs of families in delivering the following key objectives: • Improve social capital (participation in community organisations, informal social networks and voluntary associations; and the social connections that this results in) • Improve health literacy (the skills that allow people to gain access to, understand and use information on health and improving health) • Support families with babies and young children (0-3years), particularly where English is not a first language. Community focused Communities are well placed to provide social support and to help improve parental mental health and confidence. The service needs to be community-led, with support and interventions co-produced with families to ensure the offer best meet their needs. There should be a strong focus on co-production with underrepresented groups, as well as providing opportunities and space for community groups to share their experiences. The service should be focused on part of the borough (wards with the highest levels of need, as set out in paragraphs four and five of the background section of this service specification), with delivery targeted and tailored to this area, delivered within local community settings. The service must be delivered in English and one other language, to increase the accessibility for local families. Ideally this should be Spanish, as the most spoken language in Southwark other than English. Key deliverables to be developed through co-production: • Delivering parent hubs in community settings, which serve as weekly meeting and learning places for parents and places of active play for infants, as well as social support, health literacy and leadership development. This includes delivering a hub for parents for whom English is not their first language. 3 parenting hub sessions to be delivered every week, with at least one session a week in another language. • Deliver a programme of pregnancy and early parenting health education to improve health literacy. The curriculum for the programme is to be co-designed by parents and health professionals. This programme should be available in English and one other language (ideally this should be Spanish). Six courses to be delivered every year. • Delivery of activities and interventions that are evidenced to improve the mental health of families. • Support and interventions to be delivered in most spoken language within the local community. • Additional support and provision for families facing multiple disadvantage, including families with No Recourse to Public Funds. • Increase and develop families’ social support networks. • Provide opportunities and support for families to lead healthy and active lives. • Provide opportunities to develop skills and confidence through volunteering. • Ensure the parenting hubs serve as places for community organisers to run listening campaigns to identify common issues such as public health, housing and access to health and childcare services. Facilitation of listening events, peer support groups or forums is to take place at least one a month. Partnership working The service will need to work closely with health services, such as the Health Visiting team and local faith groups and the Alexandra Rose Charity. The service will need to work in close partnership with the local Children’s and Family Centres to ensure that families are supported to access a range of services and support available within their community. The service will need to help inform and the development of the local Family Hub model. The provider should be well established in the borough and be aware of local social and health services as well as other voluntary, community and faith organisations, and regularly signpost and support families to access provision as required. Aims and objectives of the service The service should aim to support some of the most vulnerable and isolated families within Southwark, in particular families who are isolated by not speaking English as a first language. The service will work with these families to: • Tackle social isolation • Remove barriers to accessing health and care services, including that of language and digital barriers • Improve parental mental health, parenting skills and confidence and social support • Improve the physical health of families, in particular through healthy eating and increased physical activity • Improve child social and emotional development, language skills and school readiness • Strengthen parents and communities relationships, with improved ability to identify and tackle problems • Establish new collaborations and pathways between community and statutory partners • Develop and improve service provision through co-production</p>