IHSAN CHILDREN’S CENTRE 

The Ihsan Children Centre is based at the NLMCC. As part of the Government’s Sure Start initiative it is co-funded by The Learning Trust, and Tyssen and Woodberry Down Children’s Centres.

Opening Times

Monday: 10:30am - 3:30pm (closed 12-1pm for lunch)

Tuesday - Thursday: 09:30am - 3:30pm (closed 12-1pm for lunch)

Friday: 09:30am - 12pm

The ICC hosts a range of services and activities which include:

Education & Childcare

The Mother and toddler group operates from Monday to Friday under an open door policy and actively welcomes mothers and children between the ages of 0-5 of all backgrounds and faiths, while catering for the specific social and cultural needs of Muslim women and children. Activities vary from messy play, to a comprehensive range of quality services, promoting education and learning through fun and play using the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework.

Mothers support group

The group provides free, confidential and professional help & services to women through provision of advice and information, counselling, couples advice, domestic violence help, advocacy, outreach and general support.

Outreach support at home

Delivering beneficial services that address a wide range of needs within the community through innovative thinking, careful planning and hard work.

Providing extra support for ‘hard to reach’ families, single parents and vulnerable children. These may include; those with language barriers, women who are isolated/new to the area, families without support networks, families that need assistance in understanding their rights and entitlements, and mothers who may feel stressed or depressed and simply need some time out

Referrals to specialist health professionals

We work very closely with the NHS and The City and Hackney Primary Care Trust. Referrals can be made to multi-agency teams and other health professionals via the family support worker.

Adult learning courses/ self-development:

We provide a range of free in-house classes, sessions & training for adults. Classes vary depending on the demands of the community. Some examples of courses the ICC have run include First Aid training, ECDL, Food & Hygiene training, ESOL, Health & Fitness classes, NVQ's in Early Years, Yoga sessions, Baby Massage, Henna Arts, Sewing Skills, and Book Clubs to promote adult reading.

Health promotions

We ensure that Mothers who use the Ihsan Children’s Centre receive appropriate Ante & Post Natal care and have seamless access to a variety of health services & professionals such as Midwives, Health Visitors, Dieticians, Psychologists, Skin Specialists, Child Psychotherapists and Speech & Language Therapists.

An Immunisation and Baby Weigh-In clinic takes place at the centre each month. This is very convenient for many of the mothers as waiting times are shorter and other children can enjoy the play activities at the Mother & Toddler group while their siblings are being seen to.

Information leaflets, textbooks, health packs & resources are available as reference for health, antenatal advice and support for parents.

Coffee sessions are also held regularly to help mothers, especially those who are new to the area or to our services to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. Mothers also appreciate the opportunity of being in the company of other mothers who may share similar experiences, sometimes of a difficult and sensitive nature. In all cases, the staff of the ICC will provide support to families.

Advice surgery for women

The ICC offers a confidential and friendly advice service assisting Mothers with the utmost empathy through any type of problems they may be experiencing in their lives. For example: mothers who are suffering from stress, are victims of domestic violence, experiencing difficulty with housing, who have newly arrived in this country, are single parents etc. With the consent of the mothers, we can assist and signpost them towards professionals who may also be of assistance to them. We provide an encouraging attitude and a listening ear through these very difficult periods of their lives.

In addition to this, we can help families who need assistance in completing application forms, providing interpretation, helping with Tax Credit queries, applying for certain grants, assistance for ESOL and Citizenship examinations by referring them to the NLMCC’s in-house Advice Surgery.

Respite Crèche for mothers that need additional support

Our Pre- School Respite Care for children is aimed to support Mothers looking to introduce the idea of independence and pre-school practice for their child/children. The Respite service also acts as a mechanism of support for those Mothers who are in need of some quality time for themselves with the peace of mind of knowing that their child is in reliable care.

Other services:

We provide organised & structured events & services for families living within Hackney. Our special events include play schemes, mother and children parties, family fun days & outings, community led fun days & fund raising bazaars. We aim to provide a good time for families whist seeing to their social, emotional & personal well-being.

Networking:

We work closely with people from many different multi-agency teams including:

• Child mental health specialists/ Clinical Psychologists
• Speech & language therapists
• Social workers
• Family support services
• Dieticians
• Public Health Co-ordinators
• Health Visitors
• Public Health midwives
• Occupational Therapists
• Childminding networks

We can also signpost you to other streams of advice, e.g.:

• Hackney council benefits (appropriate departments)
• Citizens advice bureau
• Job centre plus
• Dental health care
• Adult & youth services
• & more…