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Posted on 12 Aug 2015

Families from Children's Centres in North Broxtowe had the opportunity to talk with their local MP, Anna Soubry, last week following an invitation by the Trust's North Broxtowe Children's Centre teams to a Play Day event in Kimberley where they were promoting the services and activities available to families in the area.

Ms Soubry was invited to the event following a consultation between North Broxtowe Children's Centre staff and parents who said they would like to have an influence on their local community and had asked the Nottinghamshire Children and Families Partnership (NCFP) to support them.

Staff talked to Ms Soubry about the services provided by the Children's Centres in Awsworth, Kimberley and Nuthall as well as how they engage with families and work with partnership agencies to improve the lives of those families most in need.  

Ms Soubry heard from parents and carers on what they would like to see improved in their local area and listened to personal stories and their thoughts on the NCFP Children's Centre and the impact it had on them. 

One parent shared her journey, detailing how she first attended antenatal classes before attending Bundles of Fun, a group for new parents with babies under one, and how she had now moved on to other universal services with the Children's Centres.  She particularly highlighted the advice and support she had received along with the child development opportunities which her child had gained.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Soubry said:

“It was a pleasure to have been invited to Kimberley Play day on behalf of The Sure Start Children's Centre.  It was great to meet them all and learn about the variety of services offered to parents and their young children.” 

Local Advisory Group Chair, Zoe Turner, who is also a parent and volunteer for NCFP, shared her own experience with Ms Soubry, explaining that she has set up a self-help group for adults experiencing anxiety following  a course she attended at the NCFP Children's Centre; a group which is now grant supported by both the Clinical Commissioning Groups covering North Broxtowe.

Steve Lack, District Manager, said: “We were delighted to welcome Ms Soubry to our event.  She took an obvious interest in our work as well as our families and their thoughts about how their communities can be improved.   

“Anna told us she was pleased with how well the Trust, Family Action and North Nottinghamshire College worked to bring their expertise together to support families.  She was also pleased that the Clinical Commission Groups in the area were also interested in and working with both the NFCP Children's Centre and parents.

“This was a valuable opportunity for parents to talk about the changes they would like to see in the local area. The results of our consultation will be shared with Ms Soubry and the local authorities.”