Age 2 to 5 Nursery to Reception
Having fun and making friends:
Contact your local Family Hub to find out what youth and play activities are on for your child and get involved.
Health Visitors:
If your child is under four and a half, you can access a Health Visitor and their team. They help with your child’s health and development through home visits, contact in the community and phone calls. Ask at your local hub or visit the Health Visitors website.
There is also a confidential text service for families with a child aged 0-5 years. Get advice from Health Visitors about things like your child’s behaviour, development, and sleep via Parentline.
Phone number: 07480 635 892
The Children and Parents Service (CAPS):
CAPS are Clinical Psychologists, Specialist Health Visitors, and Parent Group Leaders who provide community-based psychological support to Manchester families with children under five.
Ask at your Family Hub or visit the CAPS website.
Home-Start Manchester:
Home-Start is a charity that provides volunteers (who are other local parents) to help you in your home. It is for families with at least one child under five. Ask at your local Family Hub or visit the Homestart website.
Early Help:
The Manchester Early Help Approach is delivered by a wide variety of agencies and supports families to identify needs and put in place the right support at the right time and prevent problems from getting worse. Parents work together with organisations, as part of a team! You can have a confidential conversation with a member of staff at your local Family Hub and they will advise and support you to move things forward, if you would like help to get family life back on track. You can learn more about your Family Hubs via this link.
You can access the Early Help information pages here:
Early Help | Help and Support Manchester
Speech and Language Therapy (SALT):
They assess, diagnose and support children aged 0-16 years (or up to 19 years if a young person attends a Manchester Specialist Support School) who have speech, language and communication needs. If your child needs help to communicate, talk to your Family Hub staff, or visit the SALT website.
Eating well and feeling good:
MoreLife Junior Physical Activity Referral Service (PARS) has a free programme for children aged 5-17 who are above a healthy weight, to connect them with sports and activities in their area. This supports an active lifestyle. Speak to Family Hub staff or visit the PARS website.
Help with food:
Get advice on your child’s diet and nutrition at your local Family Hub. And if you need it, staff can direct you to Food Banks in your area and advise you on things like how to apply for Free School Meals.
If your child has Special Needs and Disabilities (SEND):
Manchester’s Local Offer is all the information, advice, services, and activities on offer in the city for families where a child or young person aged 0-25 has a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). Visit the Manchester Local Offer website.