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Advice and support (Family Journey)

Updated: 12th May 2025

For new born to five years old

Health

  • Health Visitor (Locala). All families with a child under five will be supported by a Health Visitor. They will offer support and advice around your child's growth, health and development.
  • West Yorkshire Healthier Together. A free website developed by local healthcare professionals to help parents and carers keep their children safe and healthy. It has advice on common childhood illnesses and includes when and where to go for help.
  • Register with your local GP (NHS).
    • You will need to register your child as possible after birth.
    • The GP can advise, give you the medicines you need and help if you need other specialist services.
    • You will usually need to make an appointment.
    • All GPs will see a child quickly if you are worried.
  • You need to register your child with a Dentist (Locala). You will need to register your child with a dentist
  • Physical problems after pregnancy (NHS). For advice on your post-pregnancy body.

Infant feeding

  • Infant feeding support. Whatever your feeding method, your Midwife or Health Visitor can answer any questions you have.

    Please note: Both use a voice message service that are replied to in a timely manner.

    • Phone: 01484 344 345 for Midwifery Infant feeding service.
    • Phone: 03003 045 076 for Locala PHEYS.

  • Breastfeeding support. In the early days, after the birth of your baby, phone:

    At any stage you can attend any of the breastfeeding support group drop-ins, no need to book:

    For more details, phone these Children's Centre: 01706 399970 (Todmorden) or 01422 342552 (Jubilee).

    Bookable group:

    Contact the Health Visitor Service on 030303 045 076 or North Halifax Partnership 01422 251090.

    • 01484 344345 for the midwifery team.
    • 03003 045 076 for the Health Visiting Service
    • Tuesday from 10am to 11.30am (Halifax area).
    • Wednesday from 10.30am to 11.30pm (Virtual Group).
    • Wednesday from 1pm to 2.30pm (Sowerby Bridge area).
    • Thursday from 10am to 11.30am (Todmorden area).
    • Tuesday from 10am to 11am.
    • Thursday from 10am to 11am.
  • Calderdale Breastfeeding Peer Support Service. At each Health Visitor contact you will be offered a referral to the Breastfeeding Peer Support Service.
  • Welcome to Breastfeed - Calderdale. This is a local award scheme recognising venues across Calderdale where mums are welcomed and supported to breastfeed. Here you will find details of venues in Calderdale that are part of the scheme.

  • Introducing your baby to solid foods. This is also called complementary feeding or weaning and should start when your baby is around 6 months old. Your Health Visitor can answer any question you may have about this, phone: 03003045076.

    National Sources of Support:

Emotional health and well-being

  • Postnatal depression (MIND). More common than people think.
    • This can start within days of giving birth or up to 12 months after.
    • It does not always mean that you have low mood or feel sad. Also, it can often create feelings of too much anxiety.
    • Some mums feel overly anxious about themselves, their babies or other issues such as money worries.
    • Poor sleep/eating and staying away from family and friends can be signs.
    • It is important to get help to lessen the time mum is unwell/affected.
    • To help, there are Talking therapies, practical support and medication.
    • Talk to your GP or Health Visitor, this does not mean that mum will be parted from her baby.

The early days often sees a lot of support and focus on mum and how she is feeling or coping. While this is really important, partners need some support too. Becoming a parent can be exciting and overwhelming. New parents can struggle to cope with the pressure. Take care of yourself too and speak to your GP or Health Visitor if things are difficult.

Relationship Matters – Reducing parental conflict

Whether you are together or separated, the way you and your partner communicate can impact on your children. All relationships have tricky moments, it is how they are experienced and resolved that matters.

Research has shown that frequent, intense and poorly resolved relationship conflict between parents can affect children. Regardless of whether it occurs between couples that are living together or are separated. This type of conflict can have an adverse effect on their child's emotional, social and cognitive development.

Disagreements and arguments are normal and part of everyday life, but if it becomes a problem you can get help. For about this visit: Relationship Matters and Key Messages - Why do relationships matter?

Learning and development

  • 50 Things to do - before you're 5. Things you can do with your child in Calderdale.
  • Ages and Stages (ICAN). A guide to the typical stages of speech and language development in babies, children and young people.
  • BookTrust. Find out about reading with your baby. It is never too early to enjoy a book!
  • Calderdale Children's Centres. These run workshops and courses for families and are a great place to go for advice and support. Find a centre near you and see what you can get involved with.
  • Childcare. A number of childcare options are listed here.
  • Childcare and Education. Information about registered childcare providers, if you need childcare for your baby.
  • Development Matters (Early Education). Used by early years practitioners to help children have the best possible start in life. It is a good reference point for your child's development.
  • How can you encourage a child’s language development? (NCT). Simple and easy ideas to support your child.
  • Libraries for children. Visit the library often with your child to borrow new books and old favourites to share at home. (You will need to register).
  • Look Say Sing Play (NSPCC).
  • Resources for Parents (Foundation Years). Here you can find lots of ideas and resources for parents/carers.
  • Support for Parents (NPA). Portage is a support service for families of children with special needs and/or are disabled. It works with families from birth to support and guide them through their child's early development and learning. You can contact them directly by email: peyst@calderdale.gov.uk.
  • Tiny happy people (BBC). Find great ideas for a parent to help develop their baby.
  • Watch me play! This is a simple way for parents or carers to support and enjoy being with their baby or child. For those aged from birth to around 8 years old.

Keeping safe

  • Baby Check App (Lullaby Trust). This has 19 simple checks that parents can do if their baby is showing signs of illness.
  • Caring for Your Baby at Night (Unicef). This covers a range of topics, that include:
    • Getting some rest.
    • Night feeding.
    • Safe sleeping environments.
    • Helping baby to settle.
  • Baby Sleep info (Basis). These present research evidence about normal sleep for human babies.
  • Safer sleep for babies (Lullaby Trust). Simple steps for how you can sleep your baby to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Caring for your baby at night (UNICEF). View or download a leaflet that offers advice to parents on looking after baby.
  • Lullaby Trust. Offers guidance and information on safe sleep for baby.
  • Accidents can be prevented (CAPT).

Useful support on Facebook

Useful apps

  • Baby Buddy (Best Beginnings). Advice to help you look after the mental and physical health of you and your baby.
  • DadPad. This has a great guide with information to help new dads care for their baby and partner.
  • 50 Things to do - before you're 5. Things you can do with your child.

For specific ages

For new born babies

Health

Learning and development

For six to eight week olds

Health

  • Your baby and the fourth trimester (BabyCentre). Some useful advice about the changes that you, your baby and family experience at this time. The term 'fourth trimester' describes the move from womb to world and the first 12 weeks.

Learning and development

For eight to 12 week olds

Health

  • Your baby and the fourth trimester (BabyCentre). Some useful advice about the changes that you, your baby and family experience at this time. The term 'fourth trimester' describes the move from womb to world and the first 12 weeks.

Learning and development

For three to four month olds

Health

  • Get ready for solid foods at around six months. Your Health Visitor be able to talk with you about this. For some useful information, visit: Eating well: the first year (Squarespace).
  • Finger food without the fear (CAPT). This leaflet gives information on weaning safely.

For for nine to 12 month olds

Health

Leaning and development

  • Progress Checker (I CAN). This is a handy talking points progress checker from this children's charity.

For over one year olds

Health

Learning and development

For over two year olds

Health

You and your child will take part in a Health and Development Review by the Health Visiting Service.

If your child goes to an Early Years and Childcare Provider, they will also complete a progress check. (This could be nursery, pre-school or childminder.)

These together are the:

Learning and development

For over three year olds

Health

Learning and development

For over four year olds

Health

  • How to potty train. Guidance from the NHS.
  • ERIC, The Children's Bowel & Bladder Charity. These aim to make batter the lives of all children and teenagers in the UK that face continence challenges.
  • There are many things you can do to help them feel safe, confident and independent when you prepare to start school. Help them to be able to:
    • Ask for help.
    • Do things for themselves.
    • Explain things that are important for their own learning.

Starting primary school

Health

Learning and development

  • To help with the transition into school please take part in all transitions activities offered by school:
    • Walk past your child’s new school.
    • Get the uniform and practice putting it on.
    • Buy lunch boxes, book bags and such and practice using them.
    • Share in the excitement and joy of moving.

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