A FAMILY hub in Oldham has helped a doting dad who was diagnosed with autism at 21 years old to strengthen the bond with his son.
Joshua Bardsley, 24, and his three-year-old, also called Joshua, are thriving after taking part in a Play, Learn, Grow course held at Richmond Academy.
They have got involved in fun activities since joining a free eight-week development course, through the Making It REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy).
Delivered by the charity Home-Start HOST, it’s accessed through home visits and face-to-face groups delivered in pre-schools, nurseries, schools, Family Hubs and community buildings, supporting children’s early literacy development.
The course, for parents and their children aged three to five, aims to help parents to support their children’s early learning and development at home.
Joshua said: “We’ve took some of the activities from here and brought them home. So, for example, now we do things like making play dough and spending hours round the table as a family doing little activities to make the bond a bit better.
“It gives you more to talk about and it helps with describing things. We do reading and sometimes we’ll go out and do things while out in the park.
“But there’s only so many times you can go up and down a slide and round the swings and roundabouts, so this just makes more things to do at home.”
Family Hubs offer various services such as health clinics, breastfeeding support, Baby Play and Stay and Play sessions and parenting support.
Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “This is a great example of how we are supporting children from a young age to develop and providing them with the best start in life.
“We are proud that our Family Hubs offer is helping children in Oldham to learn and develop and families like Joshua’s to bond and thrive.”
People can find their nearest Family Hub, for children and young adults aged 0-19 and aged 25 with SEND, and more information at https://familyhubs.oldham.gov.uk
For more information and to join the Play, Learn and Grow course, call 0161 344 0669 or email plg@homestarthost.org.uk