Family hub for new parents praised by minister

BBC A woman with short black hair and wearing a bright green t-shirt is smiling. She is holding a baby to her shoulder, who is facing away. They are in front of a wall with information about toddler groupsBBC
Karen Dawson said being a new parent could be lonely but the hub was "incredibly helpful"

A family hub in Sheffield which offers support for new parents and children has been praised by the government.

The Primrose Family Hub in Walkley runs free activities, groups and advice sessions for expectant and new parents.

Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould visited the centre, where she said she hoped to learn from its work as part of national plans to help more disadvantaged families.

New mum Karen Dawson said being a parent could be lonely but the advice and support offered at the hub was "incredibly helpful".

Ms Dawson, who had been visiting the hub regularly since her baby boy was born in August, said it offered a space to socialise and enabled her son to play with different toys.

"Being a new mum can be quite lonely at times," she said.

"I'm a single parent by choice, so I don't have a partner to help me. My friends rally round and I'm getting out and about but having these events during the day is incredibly helpful."

Specialist workers also offer one-to-one sessions at the centre.

"The breastfeeding support work is brilliant and when it comes to things like sleep regressions, it's nice to just share the pain with other parents, because it's something we all go through," Ms Dawson said.

A woman with blond shoulder length hair is wearing a navy blue jumper and smiling. She is stood in front of a wall which has paperchains and fabric decorations
New mum Georgina Battey said the family hub offered good support

Georgina Battey visited the hub with her 10-month-old baby and said she found being a new parent "really challenging but wonderful".

"It's really important to meet with other mums while you are in those early stages, just to see that you are not alone and other people are going through difficult things as well," she said.

Family hubs were a "fantastic place" to find that support, she said.

A woman with blond shoulder length hair is smiling. She is wearing a white blouse with a gold necklace and a red suit jacket. She is stood in front of a noticeboard which has words pinned on about babies and toddlers
Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould said more parents needed to know about services on offer

Government minister Gould, who visited the hub on Wednesday, said she had been "blown away" by the services on offer.

"Many people are using these fabulous services but I think there are more who just don't know about them," she said.

"The work going on here is really important so we need to get behind projects like this."

Gould, who has a 14-month-old baby herself, said the government could "learn" from the services in Sheffield.

"It can be quite isolating being a new mum, there is so much to learn all at once but family hubs can help," she said.

The Primrose Family Hub runs baby groups, toddler groups, speech and language support and baby massage, among other activities, according to manager Catherine Ellison.

Midwives and health visitors also hold appointments at the site.

"We try to work with the whole family and would welcome people to use us as a front door to find out what support is available to them," Ms Ellison said.

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