The Better Start Bradford Perinatal Support Service Peer – Support Changing Lives

Abstract

Better Start Bradford (BSB) is one of five ‘A Better Start’ programmes in England set up and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Sister sites are in Southend, Blackpool, Lambeth and Nottingham. Our aim is to improve the life chances of babies and very young children in the three most deprived wards in Bradford by changing the way services are commissioned and delivered, involving parents as equal partners. In partnership with parents, we are developing and testing ways to improve children’s diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, speech, language and communication. As well as this, we aim to bring about systems change – change, for the better, the way that local health, public services and the voluntary and community sector work together with parents to improve outcomes for children. We are finding out what works so we can share it to promote wider change. To do this we have commissioned and set up over 20 individual projects during the eight years which the programme has run and we are evaluating their impact with colleagues at Born In Bradford. The perinatal support service is one of these projects.