Bolton Start Well

Bolton Start Well Service has small expert teams who provide comprehensive advice and support in the following areas:

• Early Years Foundation Stage – Start Well Quality and Outcomes Team
• Early Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – Start Well Early Years SEND Team
• Early Communication and Language

Start Well Childminder Led Sessions

What happens at these sessions?

These Childminder-led sessions are an opportunity for Childminders to work in partnership and network with other Childminders and members of the Start Well Team.

The sessions will be held in Start Well Centres on a weekly basis. On a rolling programme, a member of the Start Well Team will be available to share practical ideas, resources and advice to support the needs of the children that attend the session.

Sessions are available at the following Start Well Centres:

• Tonge Start Well Centre
• Oldhams Start Well Centre
• Great Lever Start Well Centre
• Farnworth Start Well and Young People’s Centre
• Alexandra Start Well Centre
• Oxford Grove Start Well Centre

Childminders may attend one session per week. It is advised that Childminders book onto a session at their local Centre.

Outcomes of Start Well Childminder Led sessions:

• Enables Childminders to receive focused and highly effective professional development;
• Strengthens teaching and learning in light of local and national priorities;
• Improved outcomes for all children including the most vulnerable

Early Years Communication and Language Development Service

In September 2019 the Early Years Communication and Language Development Service will be relaunched at scale. This builds upon the work of the early adopter for the Greater Manchester Early Years Delivery Model, which will see the new integrated service made up of education and speech and language specialist further develop and embed our Early Communication and Language Pathway in Bolton.

The service is a joint venture between Bolton Start Well Service and the new 0-19 Children and Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Service, commissioned by Bolton Council Public Health and Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group.

The service will continue to:

• deliver a range of professional development activities;
• support professionals in developing effective communication and language practice and provision;
• embed the use of communication and language assessment tools and interventions;
• deliver direct interventions across Bolton for children and their families to meet local needs;
• embed the role of Communication Champions across all services; and
• ensure smooth transition to more specialist speech and language services for children

Further information will be available through our briefings and on our website.

For more information the Early Years Communication and Language Development Service can be contacted on 01204 338349.