What’s On Offer

Flying Start will be offering a selection of the programmes once offered through children’s centres, although on a much smaller scale, plus some newer partnership services. We will be supporting with families at a universal level, and will assess those who are being stepped down from the new Integrated Family Partnership Service (IFPS) to ascertain if support from Flying Start is appropriate. Delivery will be through a mix of virtual and face to face programmes.

Our partnership services will be offered through Active Luton, Starting Well (pregnancy and antenatal services), Luton Adult Learning and Cambridgeshire Community Services. The new service will also signpost families to other relevant partners, such as libraries and youth services.

Furthermore, Flying Start has six new Community Link Workers (CLW), with a Senior CLW overseeing the referrals and CLW’s. The CLW’s are very much that link between Flying Start and the families/community. Please see below for further information.

Families We Can Help

The new format will be for families with children aged 0-11 years. Families can self-refer through the website or be referred by a professional via the referral form on the Flying Start website. Once received, the referrals will be triaged and families will be contacted by allocated link workers who can offer relevant universal or targeted services such as speech and language or Starting Well sessions.

The Role of the Flying Start Community Link Workers

A new role has been established within the team, there are five Community Link Workers (CLW) now in place and one Senior CLW. Each of the workers has been allocated an area of Luton aligning with the school areas of East, West, South, North and Central. The aim is for the CLW’s to build links with all community services in their designated area which will in turn support families. As a whole they are responsible for linking with settings, parents and other professionals within the community and signposting families to relevant courses, workshops and services which may be helpful to them.

Our Link Workers will act as advocates for families and work closely with our Flying Start Volunteers. Recently the link workers have been meeting up with other service providers across Luton, building relations to make those vital community connections and spread the word that Flying Start is still here.

The Senior CLW is responsible for triaging families who come through the website referral system to the relevant CLW for their area, or to a champion/specialist relative to that family’s needs. Furthermore, the Senior CLW will be the main point of contact for CCS, Health Visiting and School Nursing and IFPS step down families.

Where are we?

From September the Flying Start team will be based at three new community venues;

Park Town Community Centre, Bailey Street

Foxcubs Nursery, Runley Road.

Pastures Way Nursery, Pastures Way.

Starting this month there will be sessions such as Baby Sensory held at the centres. Please refer to the new Flying Start website for further information.

We are looking forward to welcoming families and professionals across the community to the new service. It has been a very strange time with lots of change, but Flying Start is very much still here.

We look forward to meeting and working with you.