Hartlepool’s Best Start Family Hubs and Health Visiting Service have achieved full Baby Friendly from UNICEF UK, recognising the support offered to parents and babies across the borough.
The award follows an external assessment of how staff help families with infant feeding, early relationships and a baby’s development. Hartlepool Borough Council announced the result on 13 October, saying the standards are embedded across both services.
What the accreditation checks
UNICEF UK describes Baby Friendly as a staged programme rather than a one-off certificate. Services first put policies, staff education and monitoring in place, then how that work reaches families. At the final stage, assessors visit the service and listen to mothers about the care they received.
The community standards cover four practical areas: helping people during pregnancy understand breastfeeding and early relationships; protecting and supporting breastfeeding; helping parents make informed decisions when introducing other food or fluids; and supporting a close, loving relationship between parent and baby.
That scope matters because the Hartlepool award covers community services rather than a maternity . UNICEF UK says its revised community applies to health visiting, specialist nursing, family hubs, children’s centres and similar early-years services. The standards were updated for assessments taking place from June 2026.
Accreditation confirms that the service passed UNICEF UK’s assessment process. It does not, on its own, provide local figures for breastfeeding or show how those rates have changed. Hartlepool Council’s announcement did not include data, feedback scores or the date of the assessment visit.
Support for every feeding choice
The council says its approach is intended to help all mothers and babies build a close relationship, whatever feeding choice a family makes. Its Family Hubs offer infant-feeding and breastfeeding advice alongside help with sleep, routines, introducing solid foods, emotional , early language development and perinatal .
Health visitors work with families from pregnancy until a child is five, using home visits, telephone support and clinics. Family Hub services extend further, supporting children and young people up to 19, or 25 for people with .
The award was received by a service team that includes Michelle Readhead, the council’s Specialist Nurse for Infant Feeding and Healthy Weight, and Clare Wright, Lead for Health Visiting and School Nursing. UNICEF UK Deputy Programme Director Anne Woods said families using the services could be confident that staff would provide high standards of care.
How to find local help
Hartlepool has Family Hubs at Hindpool Close, Rossmere Way and Miers Avenue, with weekly group sessions also offered at Middleton Grange. The local service lists health visitor clinics, baby massage, introducing-solids sessions and free parenting support, although individual activities may require booking and timetables can change.
Parents and carers can call the shared Family Hubs number on 01429 292444 or email familyhubs@hartlepool.gov.uk. The service is open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5pm and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm at Hindpool Close, Rossmere and Miers Avenue. Families should check the official programme before travelling, particularly for group sessions.