Being a Parent

Being a Parent:

Being a parent for the first time is scary for anybody. As your Corporate Parent, we want to support you to be fully prepared for parenthood.

Your Social Worker, carer and Personal Adviser will all provide you with advice and guidance. We recognise that going to a group for the first time or even all the time can be scary or difficult. Your Personal Adviser can support you with this or will organise for someone to go with you. 

St.Helens Local Authority also make a commitment to you that we will provide you with a 'starter pack' as a Care Leaver, which will consist of the essentials you may need for your baby.

Children's Centres

St.Helens has a number of children's centres across the borough (Central Link, Parr, Moss Bank, Thatto Heath, Sutton, Fourways, Newton and Haydock). 

They offer a variety of services to children aged 0-5 and their families, including:

• Baby groups.
• Fun activities for tots.
• Sessions for dads.
• Sessions for mums.
• Sessions for young parents.
• Sessions for grandparents.
• Childminding groups.
• Volunteer-led groups.
• Health and well-being sessions.
• Educational classes and employment advice.
• Coffee mornings and afternoons.

Find out what's on at a children's centre near you.

If you live outside of St.Helens, speak to your Personal Adviser and they will be able to signpost you to services in your area.

Triple P Parenting Programme

Parents can often feel overwhelmed by the demands of parenthood and welcome the opportunity to meet with other parents, discuss common parenting issues and build on skills they already have. From infants' sleeping difficulties to toddler tantrums, family conflict to teenagers' defiance, there is a solution! Triple P caters for every parent. Imagine having an organised, orderly family routine with ground rules that everyone knows and follows!

Parenting support available in St.Helens:

Triple P groups:

• 0-12 years
• 13-16 years
• Stepping Stones (for parents of children with a disability, development delay and conduct disorder).

These groups focus on strategies for increasing desirable behaviour and managing problem behaviour, as well as improving the emotional wellbeing of parents and children.

Also available:

• Triple P tip sheets.
• Triple P workshops (two hours). Each course consists of eight 2½-hour sessions (six classroom-based and two telephone sessions). Please note: attendance at all eight sessions is essential.

Parent and Child Programme

As of September 2018, day care is delivered as part of a parent and child programme that is specifically aimed at families who require additional support to fully meet their child's needs while their child attends high-quality childcare.

Aims and objectives:

• To increase your understanding of your child's development and how you can support this within the home environment.
• To promote positive relationships between you and your child.
• To support you in making positive relationships for you and your child, then building in protective factors.
• To contribute to the plan for your child and to make recommendations in relation to any continued need or areas for development.

The parent and child programme is for a 12-week period and runs every day at Parr Children's Centre (12.45pm-4.30pm) and Central Link Children's Centre (9.30am-12.30pm). 

You will need to ensure that your child attends day care every day and for two hours a week at Parr Children's Centre. You will be expected to attend the parent and child session to support the development of your child.

For more information, speak to your Social Worker or Personal Adviser and they can make a referral.

Hope Centre

Hope Centre established the Baby Basics Project in April 2015. Since then, they have distributed over 170 Moses basket starter packs to expectant mums and families who need a little extra help when preparing for the birth of their baby. 

The Hope Centre

Atherton Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 2DT

01744 26414
info@hopecentre.org.uk

Hope House

103 Church Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1AJ
01744 20032
info@hopecentre.org.uk

Education, Training and Employment

If you have identified an education, training or employment programme and you are unable to source any childcare support to attend, the Local Authority have made a commitment to provide financial support for childcare while you attend your education, training or employment.

Care to Learn Fund

What you'll get 

You can get up to:

• £160 per child per week if you live outside London
• £175 per child per week if you live in London

What it covers

Care to Learn can help with the cost of:

• your childcare, including deposit and registration fees.
• a childcare taster session for up to five days.
• keeping your childcare place over the summer holidays.
• taking your child to their childcare provider.

Payments

Childcare payments go directly to your childcare provider.

Before they can be paid:

• Your childcare provider needs to confirm your child's attendance.
• Your school or college needs to confirm that you're attending your course.
• Travel payments go direct to your school or college - they'll either pay you or arrange travel for you.

When payments stop

Payments end when:

• You stop attending your course.
• You reach the end of your course.
• Your child stops attending childcare.

You can get Care to Learn if:

• You're a parent under 20 at the start of your course.
• You're the main carer for your child.
• You live in England.
• You're either a British citizen or a national of a European Economic Area (EEA).
• Your course qualifies.
• Your childcare provider qualifies.

If you qualify

• You'll get a letter and a payment plan telling you what financial help you can get.
• Your childcare provider will also get the payment plan, to let them know when they'll be paid.

If you're eligible for travel costs, your learning provider will be told about payments for this.

If your circumstances change

You must report any change to your circumstances, including to your:

• personal details
• childcare provider
• hours of childcare
• childcare fees
• travel costs
• course, learning programme or learning provider
• study hours (including private study or time to take exams).

Benefits

Claiming Care to Learn won't affect your family's benefits or allowances.

Your course

Care to Learn is only available for publicly-funded courses in England. This includes courses that take place in:

• schools
• sixth-forms in schools and sixth-form colleges
• other colleges and learning providers, including Foundation Learning
• your community at Children's Centres.

Your learning provider can tell you if your course is eligible.

Your childcare provider

To qualify, your childcare provider must be registered with Ofsted. They can be a:

• childminder
• preschool playgroup
• day nursery
• out of school club.

Who can't get Care to Learn

You're not eligible if:

• You're an apprentice who gets a salary.
• You're doing a higher education course at university.

How to Claim

Find out more about claiming.

Help

Contact the Student Bursary Support Service if you need advice or help:

Student Bursary Support Service
c2l@studentbursarysupport.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 121 8989
Textphone: 0800 917 6048
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Setting-up Home Allowance for Parents

In addition to the setting-up home allowance, an additional allowance will be provided if you are a parent (or expectant parent) when you move into your first independent accommodation. To be eligible for this amount, your child/children must live with you. This allowance can be accessed no earlier than 11 weeks before the expected due date of your baby. The allowance is to assist with the additional household needs of a child and may be paid if no such assistance is available from other sources.