As a Team we run groups such as Stay & Play and Dad’s Day (look at a weekly timetable page) where you can get to know other local parents and also do some fun activities at the same time. The groups helps to support parents in their new roles. We also provide opportunities to follow courses and gain essential parenting skills.  Our groups are ideal ways to meet other local parents from the area.  You can contact the office for more information.

Parents of children who have special needs can also find help and support from Foleshill Children's Centre, The Early Years Special Educational Needs Team work with us to provide assessment, guidance and support to any child who may have any special education needs. We can arrange for transport to help you attend assessment appointments and groups.

All activities/ sessions here at Foleshill Chidren's Centre work towards a specialised learning & development curriculum for children from birth to 5 years of age.

We have an officer who supports the Childminder network by providing a well resourced setting where they can meet and network with each other, whilst also bringing their children with them.  The children can play with lots of creative and stimulating toys, while the Childminders can get to know each other and share their experiences.

First rate health advice and support is available from the team of health professionals.  Our Midwife is on hand at sessions like Wellbeing in Pregnancy, Aqua Natal, and Teenage Pregnancy Group to give you expert advice before and after the birth of your baby.  We can also support you with breastfeeding, weaning and other issues such as Post Natal Depression.  We have access to Health Visitors who help Folsehill Children's Services families.

Our Speech & Language Therapist will ensure that your child’s language development progresses well.  Any Speech & Language development concerns can be identified early and referral to Speech & Language Therapy to address this can be arranged.  Sessions such as Chatter babies & Chatter Tots are co-run by a Speech & Language Therapist.

Smoking cessation advice is available from our Quit Smoking Advisor who can support you through the whole process of giving up smoking.  Patches, chewing gum, counselling and lots of moral support are all on offer to give you the best chance of giving up and stopping for good.

There are many opportunities for parents and carers to learn new skills or update existing ones with a range of short courses.


We have strong links with local colleges and training providers to help you find other courses that might interest you.  We can help with childcare so that you can concentrate on your study. In addition to this, training is also available from Children’s Information Services about how you can gain nationally recognised childcare qualifications.  

Skills gained from any of these courses can help you on the way to returning to work.  Working with Job Centre Plus, Connexions, Steps to Work and New Deal for Communities ‘Work on the Horizon’, we can support you in finding employment in a field you enjoy.  There is a jobs board at Sure Start Foleshill where you can search internet sites that hold lots of job vacancies.  Help with filling in job application forms, writing CV’s and preparing for an interview is available to make the whole application process as easy as possible. We can arrange for you to have your benefits assessed to see if you would be worse or better off by taking a particular job.  Advice on the Government Tax Credits and how you can use these to help pay for childcare is also available.

If you would like to know days and times of any of activities mentioned please view the ‘Weekly Activities' page where you can contact the us for further details.  Working together, Sure Start Foleshill Centre can support you with every aspect of becoming a parent and making sure that your children get the very best start in life.

What do we do?
Social services provide a range of care and support for children and families, including families where children are assessed as being in need (including disabled children), children who may be suffering 'significant
harm', children who require looking after by the local authority (through fostering or residential care) .

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
The social worker has lead responsibility, on behalf of social care, for undertaking an assessment of the child's needs and the parents' capacity to respond appropriately to the child's identified needs within their wider family and environment. In the great majority of cases, children are safeguarded while remaining at home by social services working with their parents, family members and other significant adults in the child's life to make the child safe, and to promote his or her development within the family setting.

For a small minority of children, where it is agreed at a child protection conference that a child is at continuing risk of significant harm, the child's name will be placed on a child protection register. Social services
are then responsible for co-ordinating an inter-agency plan to safeguard the child, which sets out and draws upon the contribution of family members, professionals and other agencies.

The Families who use the Centre
Life can be very difficult as we all know. Most people have experienced some form of hardship in one way or another. Families who use Social Care come from a variety of different backgrounds. For example some families will access Social Care because they are new to the country and need some help to get their child into a school or with a GP. There are times when we all suffer some form of emotional distress this could be owing to feeling depressed; loss of a loved one or being under financial pressure. Families known to Social Care are known to us for many different reasons such as the ones above but also because there may be domestic violence within the family that the child is witnessing, alcohol misuse or the parents may have poor mental health. Whilst all families regardless of where they live or how much money they have may suffer some of these issues the families we in Social Care work with may not only have poor mental health but also have problems with finances.

There can be times when parents become angry, frustrated and depressed.
There are times when we all feel this way and want to lash out. Imagine if your private life was suddenly made public, how would you feel? Many of the families we work with have 'their dirty linen' aired in public meetings.
This can cause tension at times and on rare occasions there may be times when arguments are observed within the centre. During these times staff will do everything possible to ensure that other families using the centre and children using the nurseries are not exposed to this.

Fighting and aggression will not be tolerated within the Centre and if there has been an incident a 'risk assessment' meeting will be held and a decision taken as to whether the parent is able to continue to use the services provided.

It is important that as a parent you try and imagine what it is like for some families. Try and imagine how it must feel for some parents who have been told that their child's name is going to be placed on the child
protection register.