Supporting families in Middlesbrough
Discovery: understanding the needs of the local area
Middlesbrough Council teamed up with Thrive at Five in spring 2025 to work with children, parents and carers across the town, along with the services that support them. The five-year partnership will support children to ensure they have the strong foundations needed for life and learning.
As with all our programmes, we will work alongside the community and alongside parents, carers, teachers and health providers to shape the best approach for children in Middlesbrough. We will work with Middlesbrough’s existing Family Hubs network and bring together voluntary and charitable organisations, nurseries, schools and everybody involved in supporting families to embed a joined up, sustainable approach.
“We are committed to doing everything possible to provide children with the opportunity to fulfil their potential and live a happy, healthy and successful life. The quality of a child’s early years is vital for their future. Those who are developmentally ready to begin school will often have a happier and healthier childhood, while those that start behind can fall further behind.”
Discovering the factors affecting child development
Our first step in understanding the needs of a local area we’re working in is building up a picture of factors that are affecting child development and identifying opportunities for change. The first stage of our Discovery work in Middlesbrough is underway, supported by a core group of partners, beginning to map out what services and support are available to parents and carers.
The team will shortly be holding sessions and 1-2-1 interviews with parents and carers, teachers, health providers, police community support officers, local authority staff and other community representatives and groups.
“We are excited to talk, listen and work together with families and carers in Middlesbrough to help our children’s development from birth to the classroom.
Children in our town deserve the best start in life and equal access to support and opportunities and we believe our partnership with Thrive at Five can help to deliver that.”
Co-design & implement: building partnerships
Once the Discovery stage is complete and we have a comprehensive picture of what life is like for children aged five and their families in a local area, we’ll move onto co-designing and implementing the support they need. We always seek to build on and strengthen the community-based support that already exists in an area. We will also take learning and insights from our programmes in England and other initiatives, as we work alongside parents, carers and all those working to support children in their earliest years.
Improve & embed: Working together to reduce early inequalities
Thrive at Five has made a commitment to establish a programme in Middlesbrough for a minimum of seven years, because we know it takes time to thoroughly embed processes that are sustainable and make a meaningful difference.
Throughout these seven years we will be evaluating and refining our approach, guided by the insights of local families. Evidence and data underpin our approach, and strong trusting relationships are the golden thread that run through all our work.
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