High praise from government minister
Date of release: 30 January 2024
Staff who provide a one stop shop in Wolverhampton that offers support and guidance to families have been praised for their “dedication” by a government minister.
Charlotte Leo (left), Community Midwifery Matron, and Marion Astbury meeting David Johnston, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing
David Johnston, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, and members of the Children’s Social Care National Implementation Board visited Graiseley Family Hub in the city last week.
Graiseley Family Hub was opened earlier this year to give guidance and advice to support families through pregnancy and beyond, including infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, health visiting support and parenting classes.
It provides a wide range of other services, including stay and play sessions and birth registrations, and brings together services that can make a huge difference to people who need extra support, such as advice on benefits and welfare rights, getting into work, relationship building and stopping smoking.
Mr Johnston said: "It was a pleasure to be in Wolverhampton meeting the Graiseley Family Hub team who are doing excellent work supporting local families with services ranging from infant feeding to help with housing and employment. Their dedication to supporting local people shone through."
Marion Astbury, Health Visiting Service Manager at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, met him as he toured the hub.
She said: “It gave us an opportunity to promote the amazing work we do as a Health Visiting Service, and the positive difference we make to the families we work with.
“Mr Johnston was particularly interested in how we engage families and the challenges we are seeing in child development and parenting following COVID-19. The feedback we received was very positive and complimentary.”
Wolverhampton is one of 75 areas in England to benefit from a share of investment totalling £300 million from the Government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme to create the new Family Hubs.
The programme aims to ensure help and support is available for families at the earliest opportunity to enable them to stay together where possible.
Charlotte Leo, Community Midwifery Matron, was also at the visit and gave an insight into the Community Midwife service, discussing the care that it provides for residents of Wolverhampton, as well as Cannock and Stafford.
She said: “It was great to discuss our service with Mr Johnston and talk about our successes this year. His feedback was very positive which was great to hear.”
ENDS
- For further information, please email amy.downward@nhs.net
