A new service for mums, dads and families with new babies in St Helens

PARENTS in St Helens can access a Building Attachment and Bonds Service (BABS) in the area for the 1st time as part of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust's early years support for children and families.

BABS, jointly funded by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership and St Helens Council, provides support to vulnerable families, women and birthing partners who are pregnant and in the early weeks after the baby is born.

"In BABS we believe relationships are everything and the most important relationship is between parent and child, we need to support our vulnerable families in the community. Most people want to be the best possible parent they can be to their baby, but life is hard for many families and sadly things get in the way. We can support parents to separate out their own past parenting experience, issues and struggles from their relationship with their baby so they can be the parent they want to be." explained Dr Lisa Marsland, Mersey Care's Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

BABS offers therapy and support, for pregnant women, new parents and partners, who struggle with their emotional wellbeing, or other vulnerabilities, and have concerns about their bonding and relationship with their baby. Sessions may take place in the family home or in the local Family Hubs in the community.

The service is open to pregnant women and birthing partners who struggle with their emotional wellbeing, other vulnerabilities such as:- the loss of parent, addiction, domestic violence or leaving the care system, and may find things hard. More than 70% of families have experience of these adverse life experiences and BABS' interventions have had a positive impact on relationships and child development.

Councillor Nova Charlton, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:- "Our Council run family hubs and children's centres are the perfect environment for parents to build relationships with their babies and young children. Having attended a number of events and activities recently, it's heartening to see 1st hand the strong bonds that come out of them. Being part of the BABS service will help even more parents, who may not have had the best of experiences in the past, develop that special bond with their children and help us as a Council achieve our main priority of ensuring all children and young people have a positive start in life."

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell, who oversees the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership, said:- "There is clear evidence that the 1st 1,001 days of a child's life are critical to their development, wellbeing, and life chances. That's why the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership works closely with our partners to act early to support the most vulnerable families in our communities, even while a woman is pregnant. The BABS service has already been shown to make a difference in Sefton and Knowsley, so I am delighted we are now able to roll this critical service out in St Helens. Through this service, we are focused on supporting parents to build secure, loving, strong family units which are empowered to tackle and overcome negative life experiences to build brighter futures."

More information about St Helens' BABS service can be found by speaking to your GP, midwife, early help worker or any other professional who is supporting you. They will be able to refer you to Mersey Care's services if they think we can help.

An initial home visit will take place within 4 weeks of the referral being accepted. Mersey Care welcome telephone enquiries to discuss suitability prior to referral on:- 01513518801, while referrals can be sent to:- CMICB-SS.MerseyCareBabs@NHS.UK.

Mersey Care also offers specialist parent infant mental health training and consultation to multi agency professionals locally, in addition to the clinical support we provide for families.

Kirkby line passengers to receive goodwill gesture

PASSENGERS who travelled on the Kirkby line in 2023 could be entitled to receive their money back as a gesture of goodwill announced by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram.

Now that services on the Kirkby line have progressed to 3 trains per hour, the Mayor wanted to recognise the patience and understanding shown by passengers during the rollout of the Region's new £500m publicly owned trains.

Passengers who bought a weekly, monthly, term time or annual ticket, in 2023 at Fazakerley, Kirkby or Headbolt Lane Stations will receive a letter with information about how to claim their money back in full.

Further announcements are planned to recognise non-Railpass holders whose journeys have been affected and more details will be provided as soon as possible.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "It's been a transformational 12 months for our local rail network. From launching the country's 1st publicly owned trains in a generation to opening the new £80m Headbolt Lane Station; we are creating a brighter, better connected future for our Region's railways. However, being a pioneer hasn't come without its challenges. We anticipated that we would encounter some teething issues and disruption during the delivery of our new Station and trains, but I'll be the 1st to say that services on the Kirkby line have fallen short of the standards that our passengers deserve. While I cannot undo the disruption that passengers have already faced, I hope this gesture demonstrates our appreciation for their patience and understanding. I want to reassure passengers that we are working around the clock to overcome these challenges and we are already seeing sustainable improvements. It is my belief that these issues will soon be behind us and passengers will be able to enjoy decades of reliable service from 1 of the most sophisticated and accessible fleets in the country."

In January 2023, Kirkby became the 1st line on the local rail network to roll out the Region's new £500m publicly owned trains and, in October, the Mayor opened the Town's new £80m Headbolt Lane Station, which is served by the country's 1st battery powered trains. As with the introduction of any new major infrastructure, the new fleet has experienced teething issues and disruption.

In November the Mayor met with train manufacturer Stadler and made clear, in no uncertain terms, his dissatisfaction with the disruption to services and demanded sustainable improvements, while urging train operator Merseyrail to do everything possible to minimise disruption.

Merseyrail hope to restore a full 15 minute timetable to the line as soon as possible.

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