Celebrating three years of partnership working to improve the lives of children and families

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Thrive at Five are celebrating three years of working together to improve the lives of children and families in Abbey Hulton and Bentilee.

The milestone was marked with a celebration event at Bentilee Neighbourhood Centre and Bentilee Family Hub attended by Lord Mayor, Cllr Lyn Sharpe, Chief Executive of the city council, Jon Rouse and Stoke City mascot Pottermus. They were joined by representatives showcasing a range of local organisations who work in the city to provide opportunities, advice and guidance to children and families.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Lyn Sharpe said: “It’s an honour to be attending this event celebrating all the brilliant people who have worked so hard to improve outcomes for children and families in the city.

“This celebration is not just a reflection of Thrive at Five and the city council’s journey so far, but also the incredible partnerships that have helped shape it. We will be honouring the local early years workforce dedicated to supporting local families and reflecting on our achievements together.”

Attendees were asked to complete the sentence. ‘Together we…’ to highlight the collaborative efforts and achievements that contribute to our shared goal: making a difference in the lives of families in Abbey Hulton and Bentilee. The statements formed part of the event decorations and displays.

Thrive at Five Chief Executive, Aida Cable, said: “The community in Bentilee and Abbey Hulton has come together to help give every child the opportunity to thrive and achieve their potential. Parents and carers are building their skills and knowledge so they can use their power to create the best possible environment for children and make the most of the support available. 

“The local network of dedicated professionals and organisations, from private, public and voluntary sector, have united to strengthen the support for children and families. Together the partnership is making a life-changing difference to local children.”

Chief Executive of the city council Jon Rouse said: “Since we made the decision to join forces with Thrive at Five, we’ve seen something really powerful happen in these two communities – and it’s been with the communities and by the communities. One of the things I’m most proud of on the back on Thrive at Five is that, in the last three years, we’ve seen an improvement in our average early development score in Stoke-on-Trent. Thrive at Five doesn’t just work in Abbey Hulton and Bentilee. It’s concentrated there but all the learning we gain from all the activities we then spread to the rest of Stoke-on-Trent.”

Thrive at Five are also a key part of the city council’s Family Matters programme – a multi-agency programme which in just six months has started to provide key opportunities for families across the city. Partnerships are being strengthened to enhance family life in Stoke-on-Trent, with better co-ordination and targeted delivery. It’s a key part of the city council’s commitment to support family life – working with the NHS, voluntary and community sector, businesses and others to make sure families are helped to give their children the best start in life.

Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for children’s services said: “We know that supporting family life is one of our most important challenges and Thrive at Five are a huge part of the work going on with our partners to do this.

“In Stoke-on-Trent, family matters, and we’re really pleased to have Thrive at Five on board. We’ve already seen positive impacts on children and families in the city.

“Early work with families leads to far fewer children in care and we’re already seeing that Family Matters can make a real difference. I’d like to thank the team at Thrive at Five, for all their hard work alongside our own fantastic teams working with families across Stoke-on-Trent”

The city council has invested £1.5 million from the Public Health Grant into the Family Matters programme and the NHS Integrated Care Board have invested £1 million, with wider partners providing support in kind. Ultimately, Family Matters will reduce the financial pressures from the care system and reduce the amount spent on children’s care placements.

 For more information on Thrive at Five, go to: https://thriveatfive.org.uk/ Residents can also find a whole range on information for children and families on the city council’s Digital Family Hub at: https://familyhub.stoke.gov.uk/

The locally-developed Thrive at Five programme includes support groups for pregnant and new mums, a five-fold increase in parent, baby and toddler groups, working with nurseries to help improve language skills before school and partnering with Staffordshire University students to boost reading and communication abilities in the first year of school. 

Thrive at Five has also helped to bring together the network of organisation and professionals in Stoke-on-Trent to share the latest research and approaches and strengthen support for families and children.

Some are just some examples of the difference that the partnership has already achieved:

•          Halving the percentage of nursery age children across six schools in Bentilee and Abbey Hulton assessed with severe language delay had fallen from 39% to 19%.

•          1,500 local children received extra support to support them getting ready to start school or nursery

•          Five times as many baby and toddler groups for local parents and carers

•          62% increase in children across 7 schools in the area whose language skills were not a cause for concern.