An award-winning free online training programme offers Luton parents, carers and grandparents help with all those challenges and unanswered questions they face when caring for a child.

The exciting interactive Solihull Approach went live on 29 August but is being officially launched on 3 September and brings together advice and learning for all stages of parenting from conception to age 19.

The programme is being introduced in the borough by Luton Council’s Flying Start and Luton 0-19 Children’s Community Health Services with a particular emphasis on fathers.

The Solihull Approach learning is split into three sections: understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby, understanding your baby and understanding your child.

The training – accessed via www.inourplace.co.uk - is available in English and Polish with audio options also available in English and Urdu. Those wishing to use log-in with the access code HATTERS, select their course and register their details. An animation giving information about the Solihull Approach can be found here: https://vimeo.com/manage/353999431/general

Steph Cash, Senior Flying Start Business and Project Support Officer said: “The Solihull Approach is a fabulous tool which offers well thought out learning for anyone bringing up or involved with child development.

“Every parent or carer has faced situations where they don’t know where to turn or how to solve a particular problem. Now hopefully the Solihull Approach will offer that help at their fingertips.”

Ginny Lomax, Clinical Lead for Luton 0-19 Team added: “This learning is interactive and easy to understand and those caring for children – parents, grandparents, carers and professionals - can be confident that all the information has been approved by the NHS.

“At every stage of child development there are a host of issues that present themselves; the Solihull Approach offers an easily accessible place to go to find the answers.”

The official launch is taking place at The Mall Luton on 3 September between 9am and 4pm.