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Yardley Early Help Newsletter

Welcome to our December issue of the Yardley and Hodge Hill Early Help Newsletter!

We hope this issue is full of useful information and resources for you to enjoy, and share with your networks.

As always, if you would like this newsletter or any of these resources directly or in a different format, please email yardleyhodgehilleh@barnardos.org.uk

  • Early Help Network Meeting
  • Contact Details for Support
  • Early Help Update and HSF
  • The Hub Christmas Community Event
  • New Pause Drop-In
  • The C’s Family Xmas Party
  • Autism West Midlands Events
  • St Ambrose Barlow Christmas Party and December Schedule
  • Acocks Green Village in Bloom Christmas Fayre
  • Women’s Coffee, Connection and Wellness Sessions
  • Progress through Purpose and P2P Winter Camp
  • Tame Valley Santa’s Grotto
  • New Early Help Facebook Page!
  • SENAID Support
  • Resources for Autism Trainings
  • Adult Learning Within Reach classes
  • Creativity and Wellbeing Sessions
  • Birmingham Mind Event and Services
  • Best Start in Life Website
  • Ward End Walk & Ride
  • Art Cafe on Fire in Ward End
  • She Beasts CIC
  • SEND Group for 0 – 5s
  • Fox Hollies Forum Christmas Fayre
  • Pathway to Potential
  • CAFLO Christmas Events
  • Solihull BiD Christmas Events
  • Pause Art Wellbeing Workshops
  • Dolphin Women’s Centre Activities
  • Disability Resource Centre Support
  • BCT Shared Workspace
  • The Boys x RAFA Club Christmas Event
  • Men’s Wellbeing Project
  • Free Art Workshops – Narthex
  • BCHC Charity’s Winter Wellness Event
  • Financial Support Drop-In
  • Faith, Family & Future Approachable Parenting
  • Beezee Families
  • Carers Calendar and Free Yoga for Carers
  • Glebe Farm Community Christmas and timetable
  • The Pump Christmas Drives
  • Soothing Stitches Workshops
  • Toys4Birmingham Christmas Drive
  • Library Christmas Opening Hours
  • SEND Socials Events
  • Winter Sisters Market
  • The WASH Project
  • SENSE Christmas Fayre
  • CYGNET Autism Support
  • The Pump Christmas Event and Winter Timetable
  • Creative Support Hubs Timetable and Service User Party
  • FitCamp Christmas Camp
  • Breakfast & Lunch with Santa
  • Bring It On Brum now open!
  • BYSA Sports Sessions for Kids
  • Cha in the City
  • Solihull Approach Parent Group
  • Green Lane Masjid Activities
  • Pitch 2 Progress Chai & Chat
  • Better Housing Better Health Home Energy Advice
  • Worth Unlimited Clubs
  • Our Community Foundation Youth Activities
  • Various Posters

Early Help Network Meeting

Our network meetings occur monthly, and are themed around the challenges that regularly occur for families in our local area, in the hope that our network can equip and help each other to provide the best local support.

As always, please contact us if you are interested in contributing to our meetings, or presenting as one of our guest speakers.

  • Date: Wednesday 10 December 2025 at 10:30 – 12pm

Local Updates and Support Services

All providers will be sharing about their services, criteria, how to access and more!

Gracious Growth Consulting & Coaching – Shanaz A

Child Bereavement UK – Sophie Peel

We’ll have more information and holiday activities as well!

If you are not registered with us or have any questions, please email:

yardleyhodgehilleh@barnardos.org.uk

Free School Support

We are an early intervention support service for families, with a broad range of support available and access to specialist services as needed. We offer signposting services to families, including in-person group sessions on themed topics and 1:1 support, and we also facilitate information sharing and networking throughout the area for professionals.

Early Help is here to help – just get in touch at the details below.

Form Connect Form

If you would like to connect a family into our Early Help service, please complete one of our Family Connect Forms.

Early Help and HSF Update for Yardley and Hodge Hill

The Household Support Fund Hardship Community Grant has reopened.

This fund is running until the end of March 2026, although access may pause at times due to demand – families can make enquiries through the website here, or Trusted Partners will be able to perform applications on behalf of families if they are eligible.

Being a Trusted Partner will mean that you will be able to help your families with applications for the Household Support Fund by directly submitting applications for them. If you’d like to become a Trusted Partner, please email yardleyhodgehilleh@barnardos.org.uk for the registration forms.

You may get similar offers of receiving Trusted Partner access from other localities – you will only need one registration, so please gain access through the locality you are most focused on/the locality you are based in.

BVSC are administering this grant scheme, so check out their website for more information here. Information about the Fund:

If a family is unit living together within the same address, and has received the fund within the last 12 months, they will not be able to access the fund within 12 months of their most recent approved application. This is to ensure that as many households as possible access the fund. If a family applies and they have already applied, their application may be automatically rejected, so we advise that families complete one enquiry form for their household and then wait – it can take up to several weeks for the enquiries to be processed and for applications to be completed if demand is high, so we ask that families are made aware of this at the outset.

Eligibility criteria:   

  • Applicant must be a Birmingham Resident.
  • Applicant must be able to demonstrate that their household is experiencing financial hardship, and in particular covering food and energy costs.
  • Applicant’s household must not have received a £200 grant payment in the last 12 months.

Additionally, HSF accounts now require 2 factor authentication to access

This process will require you to download the authenticator app from either Google or Microsoft:

Once you have this downloaded, you should scan the QR when you are logging into your account and set it up.

You will need to have access to the app every time you wish to log in.

To find out more information or for any issues, please email yardleyhodgehilleh@barnardos.org.uk.