A rriving in Brownhills in March 2008, I was given the keys to a clean, airy andfreshly refurbished new children’s centre. Gradually over the 3 years the building hasbeen brought to life. A staff team was recruited, professionals working in the area came to share

their expertise and then as more children and families access the centre, the services have developed.

Our team of family support and childcare workers, as well as administration staff, are dedicated to providing arelaxed atmosphere where your children can grow and develop new skills in a safe and happy environment.We pride ourselves on our reception and the welcome you receive when you visit.

I firmly believe the children must remain at the centre of everything we do; every child deserves to feel safe andnurtured enjoying their early years. I am very fortunate to have spent 40 years working with children and I feelpassionate about empowering children to become self-confident and independent thinkers so they can learn tomake responsible choices in their lives.

The Children’s Centre reaches out into the community. Our area covers BrownhillsWest, Clayhanger, parts of Walsall Wood and Brownhills centre. Getting to

know and work with schools, health visitors, midwives, the communityassociation and local churches (along with many others!) has been

interesting – the welcome and support has been immense.

We hope you enjoy this booklet which gives you all you need toknow about the full range of continually evolving services that

we offer – all designed tonurture your children

from birth to five whilesupporting you as

families.

Welcome to

By Centre Manager Pauline Bird

St James Primary School andOgley Hay Nursery really

appreciate the benefits ofhaving Brownhills Children’s

Centre on site. Offeringsuch a wide range of family

support services ourfamilies feel comfortable

approaching the centre foradvice and support. We

find their support in schooland nursery invaluable. Helen Pearcey

Headteacher, St. James’Primary School.

Margaret TurleyHeadteacher, Ogley

Hay Nursery

We have a highly trained team delivering a range ofservices to support families and stimulate the inquiring mindsof children through a wide range of early years’ experiences.

Our office, training room and childcare facilities are in the centre,complete with enclosed garden and outside play area next to StJames Primary School in Great Charles Street where we offer avariety of activities including Stay and Play sessions, playgroup, parenting programmes, baby massage and visitsfrom the toy library.

Working with Ogley Hay Nursery we provide wraparound care to extend nursery sessions. In theplayroom in nursery we run family fun sessions,breastfeeding support and baby groups. Parents,grandparents, foster carers and child minders are allwelcome.

Pauline supported by the deputy manager SusanMcDonagh, leads an experienced teamof family support workers: Michelle Butler, JoDaniels, Gill Duke, Tina Froggatt and Kelly Yates.Family support workers are available for adviceand guidance through one-to-one support,groups and home visits.

The childcare team: Deb Hughes, Claire Baker,Tracey Deakin, Deb Pugh and Katie Hayesdeliver the playgroup and wrap around careoffering a varied and stimulating curriculumfollowing the EYFS statutory guidelines.

Caroline Malcolm, Ronnie O’Connerand Nicole Fereday, keep the centre

running smoothly, providing a

welcoming reception, updating information, collecting andmonitoring data, financial management and co-ordinating events.

Support for healthy lifestyles is available through a team of visitingspecialists, including post-natal clinics, speech and languagegroups, weaning advice from health visiting team, asthma andeczema clinic, weight management and smoking cessation groups.

Meet theteam...

New BabyHome Visits

A home visit will be organised inthe first months after your baby

arrives so we can introduceourselves. We will register youand give you a useful bag withgifts like a bib, teddy bear, amoneybox for savings and

information about all ofour services.

Baby Massage■ Massage can promote a better nightimesleep routine

■ Can help with a variety of issues likecolic, constipation and teething

■ Helps you and your baby relax together

■ Touch is key as you and your babybond in those vital first few months of

your child’s life

Brownhills Children’s Centre deliversbaby massage courses to help youtake a more hands on approach as

that attachment grows. Weeklysessions away from the stresses

and distractions of everyday lifecover a variety of techniques.The sessions are also great

for your confidence.

Contact: SusanMcDonagh

Post-natal clinic■ Post-natal checks for babies and mums

■ Reassurance and advice from a midwife

Saturday morning clinic in the centre. Places can bebooked with your midwife or by phoning the centre. Thisclinic does not replace appointments at the hospital ordoctors.

Contact: community midwives

New Baby GroupThis group is a great way for you and your baby to get out of the house and meet other new parents. An ideal opportunity to relax,you can sit and chat with other new parents while your baby is safe. Baby group is for babies who are not mobile and under 12months old. Sessions are designed to stimulate your baby’s early social, emotional and personal development while making sure youget the support you need. Support is available within the group for mums who are breastfeeding.

Wednesday: 1.30pm to 3.00pm - £1.00 per family ■ Contact: Michelle Butler

BabyServices

Weaning Group■ Taking the first stepstowards solids

■ Promoting infant ledweaning

■ Healthy eating fromthe start

■ Encouraginghealthy choices foryour baby

As baby takes thatimportant big stepfrom milk to wholefoods at about sixmonths, the healthvisiting team has

advice to support youboth. Free weaning gift

for each baby.

First Wednesday of everymonth at 1.30pm.

Contact: Gill Duke orMichelle Butler

Cruisers and Crawlers■ Relax and meet old and new friends

■ Space to play, crawl and toddle

■ Exploring new toys and activities

A stay and play session is for parents and childto stay together and play, fun ways to relax and

make new friends while your baby enjoys safeplay with other children. It’s about mutual support

and shared experiences as you spend timetogether. The session is perfect for helping your

children develop their social and motor skills. Cruisersand crawlers session is for active babies under 2 years.

Monday: 1.00pm to 2.30pm - £1 per family ■ Contact: Tina Froggatt

Baby Signand Baby Sign ‘n’ Rhyme■ Developing communication skills

■ Learning rhymes with actions

■ Fun and enjoyable

Your baby can understand languagebefore they learn to speak as you bothcommunicate through gestures. Signingreduces your baby’s frustration andencourages verbal communication todevelop earlier. Baby Sign and Baby Sign’n’ Rhyme sessions are fun and a way ofhelping develop those skills while meetingother parents and encouraging speech todevelop. Baby sign does not replace or hinderspeech development.

Thursday mornings ■ Contact: Kelly Yates

■ Parents and children together

■ Creative and messy activities tobecome involved in

■ Play outside and explore the garden

■ Rhymes, music and movement andstories

■ Information from visitingprofessionals on a range of

topics

This all-age Stay and Playsession has the lot from activitiesand outdoor play to messy playand singing. This stimulating groupencourages your child to make theirown choices as they explore,investigate and develop their

imaginations. The outdoor playspace, which encourageshealthy, physical activity, isan all-year-round facilityto play in.

The group meetseach Tuesday:

1.30pm to 3.00pm -£1.00 per family

■ Contact:Jo Daniels

Stay and playToddlers Group

Family Stay and Play■ Snacks, drink and occasionally cooking

■ Painting, sticking and messy activities

■ Time to chat and relax with other families

It’s sometimes hard for dads and other members of thefamily to get involved so we’ve organised a family Stayand Play session on Saturday morningsbetween 10.00-11.30am. All ages arewelcome from babies right up togrand parents. It’s an idealopportunity for the wider family toshare fun times and make happymemories. It’s also a great wayof strengthening that familybond and building lastingfriendships within the widercommunity.

Saturday: 10.00amto 11.30am –£1.00 per family

Dads play and stay■ Dads, step dads grandads andpartners sharing parenting

■ Creative and fun activities

■ Visits and trips to popular places

■ Training/courses e.g. first aid

specifically aimed at men

Time for children to enjoy time withtheir dad’s in the centre. Activities aredecided and planned together.

■ Contact: Jo Daniels

■ Supporting you to support your child’s learning

■ Creative messy play and painting

■ Story time and singing

■ Book borrowing scheme

Numbers at PEEP groups are smalland places must be booked. We

have 2 groups – PEEP babies(under 12 months) and

PEEP’s for one yearolds. The group helps

parents understandhow their children

learn, encouraging the children to talk, listen andplay with other children.

The sessions are relaxed and informal, starting withsitting together. Parents talk with each other aboutday to day activities and how the children learn.

A fun activity follows for everyone to join in, lots ofphotos are taken for you to make a picture diary totake home and keep.

Next there is time to share a snack together beforeenjoying some rhymes together.

Groups are on a Friday in the playroom at OgleyHay Nursery ■ Contact: Gill Duke

PEEP Programmes

Language groups – Speechand language therapy team■ Extra support from the speech and language team■ Developing attention and listening skills■ Understanding and reasoning skills

Children are referred to language groups to give their communicationskills a boost. Working with parents the therapy team engage the children

in social activities, turn taking games and monitor their development.

Walsall FamiliesInformation Service

Walsall Families Information Service (FIS) is afree, impartial service that gives advice andup-to-date information including:

■ Paying for childcare

■ Free Nursery Provision for 3 and 4 year olds

■ Childcare options to help you return to work

■ Activities for children and young people

■ Walsall’s Toy Library

Ask for further information from the centre orphone: 01922 653383

Parenting Puzzle■ Supports positive behaviour

■ Encourages coping strategies

■ Builds self esteem

None of us are born with all the right skills needed to be thebest parent or carer we can, so we offer a 10-week courseto encourage positive behaviour. It’s about self-awareness,appropriate expectations, being empathetic and positivediscipline. We support you to nurture both yourself and yourchild and cover a variety of topics along the way likeInternet safety, healthy eating and first aid.

Contact: Tina

STEPS■ Helps you reach your full potential

■ Improves your self esteem

STEPS is a six-week course, which isdesigned to help you improveyour self-esteem, self-worth andself-belief. The two-hoursessions are all abouthelping you reach your fullpotential while learningmany exciting ways ofdealing with everydaysituations. Weencourage you tofocus on you and haverealistic expectationsso you can get themost out of life.

Contact: Susanor Jo

Family links

Post-natal clinicYou can book an appointment to see a midwife atthe post-natal clinic on a Saturday morning in thecentre providing support during those first couple ofweeks for both you and the baby.

Physical activity teamThe physical activity team offer a variety of courseslocally and in the centre. Keep fit sessions are in StJames Church hall. Short activities including buggywalks, baby ballet and family sport are offered duringthe year.

Speech and language teamLanguage groups are delivered in the playroom atOgley Hay Nursery. Children participate in activities thatwill promote and develop early communication skills.

InclusionRegular meetings are held and close contact keptwith early year’s services including the speech andlanguage therapist, educational psychologist, healthvisitors, teacher support and mental health servicesto provide seamless support quickly andappropriately for children with additional needs.

Help with Stopping SmokingEnjoy the benefits of a smoke free life for yourself.Staying healthy means that you'll be able to enjoywatching your kids grow up. And beingphysically fit makes it more enjoyable to playwith your children too.

The NHS smoking cessation advisor is in thecentre each week. Make an appointment to

see her and get one-to-one support to help you

quit. This service isavailable to

anyone living inthe Brownhills

area.

Mobiledental unit

The mobile dental unitprovides a dental service

close to home, visiting thecentre to give NHS checkups,

treatment and advice onmaking sure your child’s

teeth grow well.

Health visitorsOur family support team work alongside the health visitors,joint home visits and referrals to provide early support.

Weaning advice on the first Wednesday of each monthduring baby group.

Co-ordinated multi-agency support for families in need.

HealthServices

Playgroups

Opportunities include:■ Imaginative play inside and out.

■ Painting, collages and model making.

■ Play dough, gloop and flubber.

■ Bikes, trikes and cars.

■ Rhymes, music and story making.

■ Choice of fruit, snack and a drink.

■ Large sandpit, water features and digging.

The centre believes all children are unique and special, each child is treated as anindividual and we take the time to get to know them, their interests and needs. Wework closely with parents, exchanging information, sharing pictures and monitoringeach child’s development. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the frameworkfor our planning and delivery, this ensures varied, enjoyable and imaginativeactivities are offered to the children in our playgroup and wrap around care.

PlaygroupBrownhills Children’s Centre playgroup runs all year round in the centreplayroom. Parents leave their children to be cared for by our experienced andqualified team of childcare workers. This develops their own confidence.

Morning and afternoon sessions are available. Contact the centre to add yourchild’s name to the playgroup waiting list or visit our websitewww.brownhillscc.co.uk to download a playgroup application form.

Contact: Deb Hughes

Wrap around careChildren who attend Ogley Hay Nursery are offered extendednursery sessions between 11.30am and 3pm. Childrenhave their lunch and extend the activities they start innursery, exploring the indoor and outdoor environment.The sessions mean respite for carers, help workingparents or simply extra childfree time to enjoy.

Contact: Claire Baker

Children attending playgroup and wrap aroundcare have a wide range of toys and creativematerials to play with. They areencouraged to explore andexperiment as they gainconfidence in theirsurroundings. The childrenshare ideas, develop newskills and extend theirknowledge through play.

■ Outreach - Home visits &community work.

■ Organising & running groups.

■ Providing a listening ear.

■ Home safety advice.

■ Targeted support through difficult times.

■ Guidance on local training opportunities.

■ Employment advice.

■ Gaining experience by volunteering.

Parenting can be rewarding but hard. Ourfamily support team understands thechallenges and rewards of being a parent.

Our support is flexible and tailored to yourfamily’s particular needs. It can be formal or

informal. It might be one-to-one or as partof a parenting group. It could be at the centre

or at your home. It may involve your wholefamily or just you. You don’t have to be in acrisis – in fact it’s better if we can catch

problems at an early stage.

If you arefeelingisolated orunsure,facingshort orlong term

difficulties,the family supportteam can help you gainconfidence in yourself and your parentingskills. They deliver support services and sign post ona variety of issues including domestic violence,money management, home safety advice andtraining courses to help with employment. Brownhillsalso offers childcare-based volunteer and trainingopportunities to help you with work experience.

Advisory boardOur advisory board is a meeting of parents,professionals and community representatives whodiscuss the centre services, reviewing how activitiesare working and thinking of new ideas to ensure thecentre’s funding improves the lives of local children. Parents are listened to through coffee mornings,participation in consultation events, annual meetings,facebook and comments forms in the centre.If you would like to be involved in making decisions,directing services and/orhelping in day-to-dayactivities let a memberof the team know orcome to a coffeemorning.

Family Support TeamFamily Support Team BrownhillsChildren’s Centreteam working in

partnership with theFamily Support and

Health VisitTeam.

What you said...Satisfaction survey

FINDING US:

● On Foot or By Car

From Brownhills High Street head towardsthe main island where the Miner statue issituated. At the island take the fourth exit onto the Lichfield Road (by the Smithy'sForge), then turn first right onto Great Charles Street.

We are situated approximately 150 yards down on the right hand side of the road,adjoining onto St James Primary School.

● By Bus

From the Bus Station at Walsall Town Centre you can take the number 10 or 10abus from stand H. If travelling from Birmingham, the X56 departs from Carrs Lane.

Brownhills Surestart Children's Centre,80 Great Charles Street,Brownhills, Walsall,WS8 6AE

Tel: 01543 370734Fax: 01543 360751Email: Brownhills@childrenscentres.walsall.org.uk

Our outsidefacilities:

“Outside play areais amazing”

“The children lovethe garden”

About Brownhills:“Fantastic centre”

“Fully equipped, centraland easy access”“The pre school

childcare provisionis really good”

Our openinghours:

“Great open times,so can fit in with

busy lives”“The new hoursreally suit our

family”

Our courses:“The courses areinteresting and

enjoyable”“Offer classes toboost confidenceand self esteem”

Our play area:“There are lots oftoys and adequate

play areas”“Good that theyhave their own

play areas”

Our groups and activities:“I attended a childminders

barbecue event and found thevarious activities available were

outstanding”“Great classes which give youthe opportunity to get out of

the house and meet othermoms whilst playing and

bonding with baby”

Making friends:“Without the centre

I would not meet newpeople”

“Being an older mom,without the centre I

would probably not havemade friends and met

other moms”

■ 97 per cent of centre users who took part in our latestsatisfaction survey would recommend BrownhillsChildren’s Centre.■ Our range of services were ratedoutstanding to good by 97 per cent ofcentre users in our latest satisfactionsurvey.■ 75 per cent of satisfaction surveyparticipants rated their overallsatisfaction with BrownhillsChildren’s Centre as outstanding.■ First impressions and thewelcome at reception in thesatisfaction survey were ratedas outstanding to good by97.5 per cent of you.■ The aspect which achievedthe highest level of satisfactionfrom centre users was for thequality of staff. More than 98per cent of you gave anoutstanding to good rating.

Children and Brownhills:“Both my children haveattended nursery, it has

developed their confidence andprepared them for school”

“My child’s progress has comeon in leaps and bounds”“Great way of socialisingchildren and bringing the

best out of them”

Our staff:“You can always talk

to a friendly face”“Everybody is very eager

to help with anyproblems”

“Everyone is treatedthe same”