Supporting families in Stoke-on-Trent
Discovery: understanding the needs of local areas
In 2021 we launched our first programme in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, focusing on two areas, Bentilee and Abbey Hulton, where around 2,500 children under five and their families were most in need of support.
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. We can then create a plan to tackle these factors together with those that are supporting children in their early years. To do this in Stoke-on-Trent, we conducted interviews and listened to the experiences of local parents, carers, public and voluntary organisations.
What we learnt through Discovery
• In the seven schools in Abbey Hulton and Bentilee half of all children were arriving in reception not ready to start learning and progressing through school.
• More than half of parents and carers in Bentilee and Abbey Hulton reported that they never or rarely met other parents of babies and toddlers.
• More than half of parents and carers had concerns about their mental health.
• Professionals and parents described a fragmented, disconnected system that wasn’t providing the best possible support for parents and children from pregnancy to five.
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.
Video Interactive Guideance (VIG)
Thrive at Five is piloting a project to scale the use of VIG, turning it from a targeted intervention into a universal offer for all babies and families during the first 1001 critical days. Funded by The 1001 Critical Days Foundation and delivered in partnership with Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) and Local Authority Family Hubs, VIG helps parents “see what’s strong, not what’s wrong” by reflecting on everyday moments of connection with their baby. Using short video clips and a relational, non-judgemental approach, VIG builds parental confidence, strengthens attachment, and supports babies to experience sensitive, responsive care at the very start of life.
"Extending the reach of VIG means that it doesn’t matter if you’re facing financial hardship or other challenges. Every family will be entitled to a form of support that’s rooted in scientific evidence and early, preventative support"
Newborn Behavioural Observations (NBO)
In 2026, Thrive at Five will facilitate a mixed cohort of local midwives and health visitors in training for Newborn Behavioural Observations (NBO). Once in place, NBO will support families from the very beginning through a relationship-based approach offered in the earliest weeks of a baby’s life. NBO helps parents understand their baby’s cues, behaviours and unique ways of communicating, building confidence and strengthening early attachment. By focusing on observation, reflection and shared understanding, NBO supports sensitive, responsive caregiving and lays strong foundations for wellbeing and development from day one.
Ready, Steady, Learn
In Stoke-on-Trent, we partnered with local schools, the Local Authority and early years providers to co-produce a city-wide campaign focused on school readiness. Ready Steady Learn has been delivered and refined each year since 2022, bringing together schools, health teams, Family Hubs and community partners around consistent messages, practical support and clear guidance for parents.
The campaign supports schools to connect early with children and families ahead of their move into Reception in September, including stay-and-play and settling-in sessions focused in identified areas of need. Alongside this, it equips parents with simple, everyday ways to support communication, physical development, independence and emotional regulation at home, builds confidence and reinforces positive messages.
By aligning partners and embedding early, coordinated support, Ready Steady Learn aims to strengthen home–school relationships and helps children start nursery or reception ready to settle, learn and thrive.
"Since 2023, my eldest Arthur has started school, and with Thrive at Five school readiness campaign I feel like he was thriving and ready to go. His communication and social skills were brilliant"
Improve & embed
We partner with the Centre for Evidence and Implementation to evaluate our work nationally. Through monitoring and sharing these insights, we identify improvements with our local partners and the community of parents, carers and early years professionals.
Parent, baby and toddler groups and community outreach activity
From birth, babies are welcomed into parent, baby and toddler groups ran by partners in family hubs, community spaces and schools. This includes embedding evidence-based practice, such as PEEP-informed approaches, and strengthening access to Parent Connectors and specialist practitioners within community settings.
By integrating this support into everyday local provision, parents and carers who may otherwise feel isolated are routinely connected to peer support, early help and trusted advice, helping groups become a sustained part of the local early years offer rather than a time-limited project.
"Having access to these resources was invaluable to me. It gave me structure, support, friendship, advice. My second motherhood journey felt seamless in comparison due to knowing that these groups were in place.”
PEEP Learning Together, Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) and Talking Time
Thrive at Five supports early communication and learning through a collection of evidence-based programmes from birth to school entry. We deliver and support universal approaches such as PEEP, which strengthens the home learning environment from birth to five through parent, baby and toddler groups and classroom-based sessions. Thrive at Five have also convened training for practitioners from all 7 schools we work with to implement Talking Time, a nursery-wide, manualised speech and language programme offered to all children across the academic year. For children who need more targeted support, we ensure the full delivery of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) in Reception, with our experienced peripatetic practitioners delivering small-group sessions.
"I have adopted the PEEP sessions into the parent, baby, toddler group I work in, and feel the sessions are valuable as it gives insight into the reasons why it is so important to give the children great opportunities within our everyday routines/life."
Partnerships in Stoke-on-Trent
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 Abbey Hulton and Bentilee 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 Stoke-on-Trent City Council, seven 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 Stoke-on-Trent.