New Early Years Family Support Project – Together We Begin
We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in securing funding from the Henry Smith Foundation through its Together We Begin fund.
This funding will allow us to strengthen our parenting and family support offer, develop our volunteer mentor model, and create lasting impact for families across the local community.
The project will provide practical, face-to-face support for parents with young children aged 0–5 and expectant mothers, helping families build confidence, strengthen parenting skills, improve wellbeing, and give children the best possible start in life.
Building on Our Parenting and Family Support Work
Together We Begin adds to OAK’s long-standing parenting and family support offer, strengthening the support we already provide to parents, children and families across Oldham. It builds on our experience delivering programmes such as Skills for Families, Empowering Families – Creating Stronger Communities, Positive Parenting, Raising Achievement, and Empowered to Achieve.
Through these programmes, we have developed a strong understanding of what works for families: building trust, listening to lived experience, supporting parents in practical ways, and providing culturally sensitive help that reflects the realities of family life.
Supporting Families Where It Matters Most
Together We Begin will focus on families who may be experiencing isolation, low confidence, language barriers, financial pressures, poor wellbeing, or difficulty accessing local services.
Through home-based and community-based support, OAK will work alongside families to help them:
- Build confidence as parents
- Strengthen positive parenting skills
- Create healthy routines at home
- Support children’s early learning, speech, language and development
- Improve emotional wellbeing and reduce stress
- Connect with local groups, services and community activities
The project will particularly support families from BAME communities, including South Asian, migrant and racially minoritised families across Oldham, where cultural, language and social barriers can make it harder to access mainstream support.
A Strengths-Based Approach
At OAK, we believe every family has strengths. Together We Begin will build on parents’ existing skills, values, resilience and hopes for their children.
Our approach will be practical, culturally sensitive and relationship-based. Families will receive support at their own pace, with a focus on small, meaningful changes that can make everyday family life calmer, more positive and more nurturing.
The project will also recruit and train Family Support Champions / Peer Parent Mentors, who will help provide encouragement, peer support and community connection for families.
Get Involved
For more information about how families can access support and how local people can volunteer as Family Support Champions please visit our Together We Begin page
Email: info@oakcd.org.uk
Phone: 07434 442 786