Learning from each other - A Better Start Blackpool visit LEAP

Tanya Spence, People in the Lead Manager at the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP), explains how colleagues from two different ABS programmes shared ideas during a recent visit.

We were delighted to welcome Colin Smy, Community Development Manager for Blackpool Better Start (BBS), to LEAP to share learning from delivering services and activities for families in both Blackpool and Lambeth.

Lambeth and Blackpool are two of the five areas in receipt of A Better Start (ABS) funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. The ABS programme takes a test and learn approach to understanding and improving good early years development in localities which have a high level of need. As all five ABS sites across the UK enter the last phase of this 10-year funded work, we continue to embrace valuable opportunities to learn from one other.

After visiting the Liz Atkinson Children’s centre where the LEAP team are based, we went to meet a range of LEAP’s partners at the GreenHut in Brixton Windmill Gardens. Many of these partners will continue to deliver services to families with very young children beyond the end of the LEAP programme.

Working with parents

Parent voice and engagement with parents, as equal stakeholders, has been at the heart of ABS programme delivery. LEAP and BBS therefore share a strong commitment to working closely with parents. A rich example of this commitment in practice was shared by Colin, who talked with LEAP partners about early development of the BBS Community Connectors programme. Community Connectors are a team of people who work in the community and help families to navigate the help and support on offer. Colin shared that local families worked to develop this role, by sharing their ideas about support and even helping to put together the Connector job description.

“Parents wanted someone they could talk to on their level and someone they could connect well with. They wanted to hear from someone who grew up in the area.”

Colin Smy, Community Development Manager

Colin then met parent volunteers Kadeanne Lynn and Cara Lloyd who both served as volunteers and interns for BIG (Besty’s Inspirational Guidance) on the Dream BiG Young parents hub, an initiative previously funded by LEAP. The hub recognises and advocates for young parents as a distinct group with particular needs.

“It's easy to forget that spaces are needed for young parents in Lambeth too. I was attending activities with my child and only ever seeing older parents around.”

Cara Lloyd, Parent Volunteer

BiG’s young parents often run activities from the GreenHut community space in Brixton. They talked about the vital need to support young parents, the specific challenges they face, and their need for interconnected support and services. Young Parent, Kadeanne, explained that her experiences through BiG had resulted in greater confidence, new skills, and a sharper focus on the future.

Local community spaces

In typical London style, the weather for the visit was variable, but visiting the beautiful GreenHut space made up for it. The visit opened up a discussion about the importance of local and accessible spaces for families. Colin was introduced to Community Education Foundation Lyncx (CEF Lyncx), who run the GreenHut. LEAP and CEF Lyncx have run weekly dance sessions for parents and children, which have proven to be very popular.

Colin learned that over time, and as the dance sessions grew in popularity, families became more familiar with wider service provision offered by both LEAP and CEF Lyncx. Working with LEAP had encouraged CEF Lyncx to develop more opportunities to work with families with babies and very young children. LEAP is pleased that there is now an offer for under 5’s at the GreenHut.

“Early years is a new area for us. Having this space to support early years closes the loop with everything else that we do and offer”.

Christian Johnson, Executive Director, CEF Lyncx

Investing in partnerships

Perhaps the biggest topic of conversation concerned the incredible partnership work done across the community to support families with young children. Discussions re-emphasised the importance of collaborative working to support some of the most vulnerable and less engaged families.

"Parents don’t always want to talk to professionals, but they will talk to a local organisation who they are engaged with. At LEAP we see have seen what community organisations are doing and have been excited about how we can work together".

Davina Belcher, CoCreate Partnerships Manager, LEAP

Andrea Paltzer, Fundraising and Business Development Manager at Art4Space, talked with Colin later in the day. She explained that a shared passion for supporting families with under-fives had brought together several small community groups. This shared passion grew and led to the creation of First 5 Lambeth, Lambeth’s first ever early years consortium, made possible with support from the LEAP programme. The consortium brings together a diverse range of local organisations, like Art4Space and BiG, who are all drawing on their expertise to give families with young children a better start.

"LEAP has created a space for us and has been a nurturing organisation, helping us to develop connections. It’s important and shouldn’t be underestimated".

Lionel Best, Director of Operations, BIG

As the LEAP programme ends later this year, most of the services and activities that LEAP has offered to families will continue to be delivered by other organisations in Lambeth. It was wonderful to reflect on LEAP’s learning and achievements with another member of the ABS family.

About A Better Start

A Better Start is a ten-year (2015-2025), £215 million programme set-up by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Five A Better Start partnerships based in Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham and Southend are supporting families to give their babies and very young children the best possible start in life. Working with local parents, the A Better Start partnerships are developing and testing ways to improve their children’s diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, and speech, language and communication.

The work of the programme is grounded in scientific evidence and research. A Better Start is place-based and enabling systems change. It aims to improve the way that organisations work together and with families to shift attitudes and spending towards preventing problems that can start in early life. It is one of five major programmes set up by The National Lottery Community Fund to test and learn from new approaches to designing services which aim to make people’s lives healthier and happier

The National Children’s Bureau is coordinating an ambitious programme of shared learning for A Better Start, disseminating the partnerships’ experiences in creating innovative services far and wide, so that others working in early childhood development or place-based systems change can benefit.

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Visit the A Better Start website to find out more.