THE early help locality manager for Camelford Family Hub, Amanda Smith, gave a talk at the recent Camelford Community Network Panel meeting at Camelford Hall.

The Family Hub offer for Cornwall has developed from the Sure Start Children’s Centre offer that was previously regulated through Oftsted Inspection as statutory service.

The Family Hub offer is proposed as:

• Information, advice and guidance

• Parenting and family support

• Health and wellbeing services

• Education, employment and training

• Child development.

Amanda discussed current examples throughout the week, which is held at Camelford Primary School and hold events include tea and toast on Tuesdays (9.15 to 10.30am), a health visitor clinic (9.15 to 11.15am) and breastfeeding support (11am to 12.30pm) on Wednesdays and Bump to Baby on Thursdays.

She said: “It looks at health and well-being for families and for them to be sustainable.”

Such is the quality of service they provide, which is for children, young people and families, Ofsted recently judged them overall to be ‘Outstanding’, issuing the following statement:

‘Children in Cornwall benefit from good-quality services. A well-established early help service connects families to a wide-range of help before they reach crisis. Early help teams provide well-targeted support across the area’.

Amanda added: “I’m really proud of our Family Hub in Cornwall and to get an ‘outstanding’ judgement from Ofsted. Families deserve the best and a good start to life.

“Community development does a fantastic job but there are lots of challenges to living in a rural area.”

Karen Campbell, who is one of community developments workers across the county for Volunteer Cornwall, introduced herself and said: “My main priority is to map every community group in North Cornwall and put it on the map and send it out to all the groups and organisations. This is updated at least once, usually twice a week.”

Parish councils were asked to send in a list of all groups and organisations in their parish which could then be updated.

Ms Campbell said: “I’m also looking at gaps in the community so that we can report it back to Cornwall Council.”

Both ladies were thanked for attending the meeting.