There is a major incident with Thames Water that is affecting many properties in Croydon. Please check the Thames Water website for updates.
Best Start service: for children up to the age of 5
Best Start is a universal service that can give you access to early intervention support from pregnancy until your child turns 5.
Types of Best Start support
Best Start offer a range of community activities and services that provide families with support – for example:
- Community Builders – work with communities and start from a place that celebrates the strengths and assets that the communities have
- Home-Start Croydon – provide a service to families by recruiting and training volunteers to offer informal, confidential and friendly support through one to one home visits, groups and in the community
- My Outspace – support families into employment and self-employment via training, mentoring, peer to peer support groups and one to one advice sessions
- Parent Champions – peer to peer groups, volunteer at children’s centres and visit and promote services in community group
- Croydon PAIRS (Parent and Infant Relationship Service) – works with parents-to-be and parents of babies up to 24 months
- SLaM (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust) and Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities (EPEC) – parenting courses that have a proven method to help children and families get the very best start in life, courses include: Baby & Us and Being a Parent
You may also be eligible for help with childcare costs.
Health and wellbeing support
There are also a range of health support service that Best Start offer:
- Maternity services – Croydon Health Services NHS
- Chat health – confidential texting service for parents and carers, giving advice and support on children’s physical and emotional health
- NHS Healthy Start Vouchers – if you are pregnant or have a child under four years old and you receive benefits or tax credits, you could qualify for NHS Healthy Start vouchers
- Time for Me – crisis support and coping skills group for parents
- Keeping your home safe – if you're in Croydon council housing with a child under 5 you may be eligible for a free home safety check
- Healthy homes – for families at risk of being in fuel poverty or with a member living with a medical condition which could be exacerbated by living in a cold home
- Live Well Croydon – personalised support for health and wellbeing from trained professionals
Health Visitor Duty Line
If you need to speak to a Health Visitor directly, you can call the Health Visitor Duty Service on 020 8274 6006 – they're open Monday to Friday: 9am to 4:30pm
Find out more about the Health Visiting Service – Croydon Health services NHS
You can find other types of support in your local area in our directory or find out about activities on the Best Start Croydon Facebook page.
NEW Help improve this site by giving feedback Show Hide
Feedback
Send feedback directly to the content team using our website feedback form
You can also join our user research group to receive invites to activities and surveys to help shape future improvements to the site.