Supporting families in Redcar & Cleveland
Discovery: understanding the needs of local areas
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) teamed up with Thrive at Five in late 2023, with the support of the Woodsmith Foundation and the Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV), to work with the communities in Dormanstown, Eston, Grangetown, Kirkleatham and South Bank.
Discovering the factors affecting child development
To build a comprehensive picture of what life is like for local children from pregnancy to 5, our local and national teams collected data on family wellbeing, childrens development, and wider system pressures. The team also held 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.
A local researcher was commissioned to encourage families, particularly those whose voices are seldom heard, to share what is important to them.
What we learnt through Discovery
• In 8 of the 11 primary schools in the areas we are working, half of children do not currently reach a good level of speech, language and behavioural development by the end of reception.
• A high number of children are receiving early help and this need has increased since 2018/19
• Local families face a number of difficulties including poor housing, anti-social behaviour, high levels of unemployment and child poverty and lack of public transport, green spaces and places to go.
• Opportunities and activities are available for families and children but not well attended.
Co-design & implement
Our approach is to co-design activities with parents, carers and local partners that help to support hundreds of families, including pregnant mums. Alongside this, we’re also working to strengthen the practice of professionals who support these families.
Strengthening parent, baby & toddler groups
We work hand-in-hand with local Parent, Baby, Toddler groups in our ward areas, helping to set up new groups and strengthen existing ones. We’ve collaborated with local parents and community leaders to improve the quality of these groups, drawing on early years guidance and best practice.
Our Parent Connectors attend groups regularly, building trusted relationships, modelling positive play, and offering practical support where it’s needed. They help create safe, inclusive spaces where every new parent feels welcome and where families can get the right help at the right time.
“The health visitor asked me if I was struggling and I finally said yes. That's how I came to meet Thrive at Five and my parent connector, Grace. Grace helped me get out there and helped me build my confidence. We used to meet for coffees and then when I was feeling up to it, took me to St Hilda’s parent baby toddler group. I stopped feeling so isolated and anxious because I was getting out and meeting people. At first, it was scary to be in social situations, but Grace helped me find my feet in the group and helped me make friends. I’ve got my confidence back, I’ve got my spark back."
Bumps & Babies
Starting in March 2025, our co-produced ‘baby shower’-style events bring together families and a wide range of early years professionals, including midwives, health visitors, Home-Start, Harbour domestic abuse support, and many others. This model builds on what we learned from Stoke-on-Trent, where Bumps & Babies was first launched, and has been adapted and co-designed with parents to meet the needs of our community. Our approach centres around connecting with a breadth of support from the earliest point possible.
“Events like Bumps & Babies are so important so families can see what’s going on in the area. Bringing people together and having events like this means that families can feel involved in their communities and have first-hand access and support from everybody around them.”
Supporting perinatal mental health
We’ve worked closely with local health professionals, including midwives, health visitors and community services, as well as parents to co-design a borough-wide campaign promoting awareness of perinatal mental health in partnership with RCBC.
The campaign aims to normalise the ups and downs of parenthood, improve parents' awareness of support services and offerings, encourage parents to reach out for support. By bringing our expertise and capacity to work in partnership with those already supporting families, we're helping to strengthen the system so that evidence-based support reaches more parents in Redcar and Cleveland.
“The campaigns message makes me feel understood and makes me realise I’m not a bad parent for feeling the way I do sometimes.”
Sharing learning and best practise through co-production
By connecting midwives, health visitors, family support workers, social care workers, nurseries, schools, community organisations, faith groups and more, we are building the foundations to strengthen the support network for families and children in Redcar & Cleveland. Our co-produced events have brought together hundreds of local professionals, with international experts and information sharing activities to strengthen practice, build expertise, and improve outcomes for children in the long term.
“All services have been trying to get it right for parents and that is where Thrive at Five comes in to give us the time and space to support families.”
Our Redcar & Cleveland Collaborators
At Thrive at Five, partnership is at the heart of everything we do, working alongside families, schools, early years settings, communities and local organisations across our 5 wards to make sure support for young children is joined-up, accessible and rooted in everyday family life.
Our work is shaped through close partnerships with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, and local primary schools, private, voluntary and independent early years settings, and the communities and families we serve. These relationships help us support children’s routines, confidence, communication and wellbeing ahead of their first day at school.
Alongside these core partnerships, we work as part of a wider network of local and national organisations that share our commitment to giving every child the best possible start. Together, this collective effort strengthens our reach, deepens learning and helps build a more connected early years system for families.
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Contact us
Get in touch if you would like to support our work in Redcar and Cleveland.