Starting Well in Worcestershire service brings together teams of staff who provide help and support to children, young people and families. The service will provide support to expectant mums, to new born babies, to school aged children and teenagers and will work to encourage development and progress.

They place children, young people and families first, delivering safe high quality services that empower and enable children, young people and families to achieve their full potential. 

Their aim is to respect and recognise each infant, child and young person as unique individuals whose best interests must be paramount, whilst considering their physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs, as well as those of their families.  They will deliver this through universal provision and targeted support to improve life chances and reduce health inequalities. 

Starting Well Services: 

• Health Visitors

  Health Visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have an additional degree or post graduate diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. They have had specialist training in child development and health promotion and can support families to prevent illness and to promote good health.

  Health Visitors are part of the new Starting Well in Worcestershire service. They provide antenatal visits along with support throughout a child’s development up to 2 and a half years. 

  Starting Well Plus is a new voluntary programme in Worcestershire developed with support and kind permission from Ripplez CIC Family First service. This programme is specifically for those under 25 years old expecting their first baby or having their first experience of parenting.

  Our Health Visitors will provide you with information and support you to make decisions which help you to have a healthy pregnancy, improve your child’s health and development and plan your own future.

• School Health Nursing

The service offers a variety of support for Children and Young People. They provide support and guidance to schools regarding public health issues, brief interventions and health promotion such as smoking, emotional health and well-being needs. They influence and champion health promoting activities and programmes both in and out of school and work closely with other professionals and local communities. 

• Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding Support Workers (BFSWs), work alongside Community Midwives and Health Visitors to provide an additional tier of infant feeding support to expectant & new families.  

Many mothers feel a little apprehensive and unsure about feeding in the early days & weeks, so they really appreciate the emotional support and practical guidance the support workers offer.

Support workers make every effort to contact all mothers living in Worcestershire within 48 hours of hospital discharge or home birth. They offer information on how to get breastfeeding started, responsive feeding, expressing breast milk and ways to avoid feeding problems in the future.  

The service is mother led – so you are encouraged to contact them as little or often as you wish during the first six to eight weeks following birth when breastfeeding can be most challenging. 

If you miss their call or misplace the number for our Breast Feeding Support Workers, ask your midwife or health visitor for contact details.   

If you would like more information about a particular group please ask your Midwife, Health Visitor, Breastfeeding Support Worker or Community Nursery Nurse,  alternatively contact the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212 (9.30am to 9.30pm, daily) or visit the national NHS website to find a breastfeeding drop-in near you