Worried about the cost of living? Need some support? Find out more here

The Willows Family Hub - Ipswich

Family Hub Logo

A Family Hub is somewhere families, parents, carers, young people can get support.

Our Family Hub model includes:

  • Buildings - these are local support centres for all families, young people, parents and carers to access.  They are a place to get help, information, advice, guidance, and support that might otherwise be too hard to find.
  • Outreach - Family Hubs will deliver health and family support services in the community, bringing services to families in their community.
  • Services and Support - which all families can access.  Staff working in our Family Hubs will work hard to ensure families receiving the right support, at the right time, to help them thrive.
  • A place to meet a variety of Practitioners to get a wide range of advice and support.  Staff working in our Family Hubs will work in partnership with families and other community providers to ensure the right services are available for families to access.

On here you will find the timetables of the 0-5 activities and services available.  We are working with the community and families to develop our 5-19 offer.  Until then, information, advice, and guidance is available for all families at any family hub across Suffolk.

For more information please see our Health Visiting webpage or our School Nursing webpage.

 

Who to contact

Name
Sam Lewis
Position
Manager
Telephone
01473 260 951 OR Suffolk Family Information Service on 0345 60 800 33
Email
thewillows@suffolk.gov.uk
Website
https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/family-hubs/health-and-childrens-centre-contact-details/
Social Media
 Find us on Facebook

Where to go

Name
The Willows Family Hub - Ipswich
Address
Magdalene Close
IPSWICH
Suffolk
Postcode
IP2 9UX
View IP2 9UX on a map
Area served
Ipswich
Parking available
Yes
Transport
The number 12 bus stops in Cambrige drive, two minutes walk away from the centre. http://www.ipswichbuses.co.uk/timetable_12.html

Days & Times

Open Monday to Thursday 9:00am to 5:00pm. Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm.

Other details

Cost Details
Our services are free, although there maybe a small cost for food and drink which is included in some activities.
Age Groups
Pre-school, Adults
Accessibility
Disabled Parking, Wheelchair Access, Adapted Toilet

Accreditation details

Family Hubs are places where children under 5 years old and their families can receive seamless holistic integrated services and information, and where they can access help from multi-disciplinary teams of professionals


Notes

We have links with health services, schools, training and employment services and other organisations to provide a wide range of services. We provide the following Services: Early learning and childcare links. Effective links with Jobcentre Plus. A childminder network. Child and family health services. Support for children and parents with additional needs. Family support and parental outreach services.

Ofsted
View the latest Ofsted Inspection Report

Support for people with disabilities

Experience of including people with special educational needs and disabilities

Family Hubs are for families with children under five. In Suffolk we have joined up our Children’s Centre’s with our Health Visiting service, as we believe this will provide you with the best care and support.   The Hub teams are made up of Health Visitors, Family Support Practitioners and Support and Information officers.

At The South Ipswich Family Hubs, we are committed to promoting and providing high quality learning and play opportunities. We believe in valuing and respecting each individual in a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment. The Hub has an equal opportunity policy which is reviewed as a minimum yearly.   We offer a range of universal and targeted support and services which are designed to meet the needs of all users.

Where possible, all our group activities are planned to meet individual children’s needs. We work within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, and will capture evidence of your child’s progress as she/he attends the centre.   Play sessions will offer activities which can be arranged on different heights including floor level and we can adapt sessions to meet individual’s needs. All our toys and equipment are suitable for children aged 0 to 5 years and we have a range of specialist resources, including sensory equipment.

We offer a range of parenting courses to help support parents in managing challenging behaviours. Please see our timetable for a full list of groups and for more information.

Staff are on hand during our activities and can offer help and support as required. One-to-one support is available for families in the home and we will work in partnership with you and other agencies in meeting your families and child’s individual needs. Your child is at the heart of our service, and should you require additional help, we will work with you to help identify any areas of concern, ensuring your child’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of the support. We are trained to use the Common Assessment Framework to ensure that we are able to undertake a good assessment of your child’s needs, recognizing and building on their strengths.

Information, advice and guidance is available and we can help to signpost you to other relevant local services and support as required. These can include:

  • The Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) which provides information, advice and support to young people and children with SEN or disabilities aged 0-25 and their parents, about education, health and social care
  • Suffolk Early Learning Together Service
  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Behavioural Support Services
  • Specialist Services

When it is time for your child to start attending nursery or school, we can support you through the transition period as we know this can be both challenging and an emotional time. Together, we can develop a transition passport which will help ensure that there is a smooth transition for you and your child.

We work closely with other agencies in the community.

We are DDA compliant and are fully accessible from all entrances and exits. The site at Willows has a disabled parking space outside the front entrance.

Our outdoor play area has ramped access and consist of some concreted areas, softer outdoor flooring, artificial grass and a covered area. The garden has a mixture of high and low level beds, where children can dig, plant and watch things grow. Within the centre we have accessible toilets with baby change facilities which include emergency alarms.

The furniture within the centre is entirely moveable and adaptable allowing us the flexibility of creating and moving spaces if required. All resources and equipment are displayed at child-height, and are fully accessible, allowing children to make independent choices about their play.

The centre is an inclusive setting with staff experienced and trained in early years care and education.

Staff Training undertaken includes:

  • ECAT – Every Child a Talker
  • Autism Awareness and supporting families
  • WelComm – staff are trained to undertake WelComm (Speech & Language) assessments and support parents in helping their child’s language development
  • Elklan – training to support staff working with children with speech, language and communication needs
  • Makaton
  • Relationships build brains
  • EYFS
  • Build and maintain relationships
  • Characteristics of effective learning
  • Children, trauma and violence
  • Boundaries
  • Helping parents who misuse substances
  • Solihull
  • Incredible years 0-5
  • Social Pedagogy 
Contact
Sam Lewis
Telephone
01473 260 951
Email
thewillows@suffolk.gov.uk

More like this

Family Hubs
Family support
Learning skills

Reviews

Sign in to write a review

Actions

Save to Shortlist

Last Updated

Last updated:

Back to top