First Steps Child and Family Centre – Barnardo’s

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Barnardo's First Steps Child & Family Centre in Peterborough offers a variety of activities for children aged 0-5 years and their parents/carers, aimed to support with development, bonding and understanding between child and parent/carer.

This activity is good for wellbeing because

  • It helps parents understand child development, ages and stages
  • It helps combat parent and child isolation
  • It provides health and wellbeing support from midwifery and health visitors

‘I enjoy spending time with my Daddy, he’s fun. I like reading stories and playing with my toys.’ Child attendee.

What to expect?

You will receive a friendly welcome into all of the centres. You won’t need to bring anything with you, but if your child is involved in messy play you may wish to bring a clean set of clothing to change into after the session.

All of the venues have toilets and disabled toilets, and are wheelchair accessible. They also have car parking and are on Peterborough bus routes.

Volunteer

The centre also has a variety of volunteering opportunities, from helping out with activities, to admin, gardening, and more. Contact them to see what is available.

More information

Barnardo’s is committed to the ambition of improving outcomes and life chances for all children, young people and their families.

The core purpose is to ensure that all children have the best start in life and achieve positive outcomes. A key focus of Barnardo’s service is reaching children and families from within their local community to support with day to day needs and challenges.

The centres create an environment where children feel that:

  • I like to interact with the adults around me.
  • I am curious.
  • I like to go to the park.
  • I am beginning to communicate my needs with pointing and making attempts at some words.
  • I like to show the family worker my toys when she visits.

All sessions and courses run by Barnardo’s are free:

Birth to walking PEEP (Parents as Early Education Partners) (course):
Getting ready for pre-school and school, supporting early language, literacy and personal skills. You can find out more about PEEP here. The specific focus here is the Learning Together Programme which aims to support parents and carers to:

  • develop sensitive and responsive relationships with their babies and children
  • improve the Home Learning Environment by valuing and extending learning opportunities in everyday life.

By supporting parents/carers, the programme aims to improve children’s:

  • personal, social and emotional development
  • communication and language
  • early literacy
  • early maths
  • health and physical development.

Antenatal to walking PEEP (course):
For expectant mothers (from 26 weeks plus) and their partner or a supportive friend. The antenatal programme aims to support parents to:

  • think about their baby, tune in to their baby’s feelings and respond sensitively;
  • understand the importance of sensitive parenting to developing a loving, consistent and secure attachment;
  • become more aware of the social and emotional aspects of the transition to parenthood;
  • manage their own (sometimes difficult) feelings that are aroused by a new baby;
  • meet other expectant or new parents and develop a supportive network group;
  • reduce the risk to the early parent–infant relationship (by helping to prevent, for example, isolation, anxiety and low-level depression);
  • engage with other local services.

This helps parent-baby bonding and attachment. Research indicates that these strong relationships enhance parents’ confidence and self-esteem, as well as contributing to better outcomes for the child in terms of:

  • their cognitive development
  • the relationships they build
  • their resilience to cope.

Toddler to Age 5’s PEEP (course):
Getting ready for pre-school and school, supporting early language, literacy and personal skills. This Learning Together Programme aims to support parents and carers to:

  • develop sensitive and responsive relationships with their babies and children.
  • improve the Home Learning Environment by valuing and extending learning opportunities in everyday life.

By supporting parents/carers, the programme aims to improve children’s:

  • personal, social and emotional development
  • communication and language
  • early literacy
  • early maths
  • health and physical development.

Stay & Play (sessions):
Sessions provide a safe and stimulating learning environment in which parents/carers can play with their children, have fun and learn together whilst focusing on developing their child’s language, literacy and preparing their child for school. Suitable for toddlers to age 5.

Baby massage (course):
A perfect opportunity to build the bond between parent and baby and helps to reduce pain from colic, wind and constipation whilst also helping to promote a healthy immune system. Suitable for non-mobile babies.

Baby Time (sessions):
Providing a wonderful opportunity for you to help your baby to use their early senses to explore and develop their social skills in a relaxed and calm environment. Sessions provide time for parents/carers to make new friends, share their ideas or concerns and obtain information whilst gaining knowledge of their babies’ growth and development. Suitable from birth to walking.

NHS Midwifery Clinics:
Appointments only – Telephone: 01733 677266

NHS Health Visitors Clinics:
Appointments only – Telephone: 0300 029 5050

NHS Baby self-weigh:
For babies aged 6 weeks plus – this is a drop in session. Check with the centre for the day and time.

Visit the Barnardo’s booking form, where you will find details of charges, dates and times of sessions, and additional information.

The Buttercup Café
Wednesdays 12 – 2pm (last orders at 1:30pm)
Jacket potatoes and toasties £1, free tea, coffee, squash or water with your meal.
Everyone welcome!
For more information call James: 07834 698 510 or Sherrie: 07808 516 764

The only course with a charge is Baby Massage, to cover massage oils. Information is on the booking form linked above.

You can find out what the other Barnardo’s Child and Family Centres across Peterborough do as well by visiting their pages:

Some activities are also held in other community venues:

  • Iqbal Centre/Gladstone Connect
  • South Bretton Family & Community Centre
  • WestRaven Community Café

How to contact

Where to go

20 Scalford Drive
Welland
Peterborough PE1 4TR

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