Local News

Updates from the local districts

Please use this page to promote any local events or webinars. Please send an email with the subject: FF News - Local News page with a link to your event and short description to familiesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Broxbourne & East Herts

• Community Alliance Broxbourne & East Herts Receives Google Grant to Advance Community Services in Waltham Cross: This initiative will significantly enhance vital community services in Waltham Cross and the wider Borough of Broxbourne, supporting our work ahead of Google's new data centre opening in Waltham Cross in 2025. Read more here.
  

• Community Alliance Funding Fair – “Help & Funding: All in One Place”
  Date: Wednesday, 12th November 2025 Time: 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
  Location: Nigel Copping Community Building, 88 Sanville Gardens, Stanstead Abbotts, SG12 8GA
  Organised by: Community Alliance Broxbourne and East Herts 

• Broxbourne Council has produced a simple Cost of Living guide for residents - Download the latest Cost of Living Directory
• Lots of really useful links for information on support for the cost of living is available on the Citizens  Advice East Herts website https://citizensadviceeastherts.org.uk/ from Energy saving tips, Cost of Living payments, and Fuel bills. Also download the Citizens Advice leaflet which gives times/dates of their drop-in 
  
  
• Services for Young People (SfYP) youth work projects enable young people to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Get details of SfYP projects and information, advice and support services in your area here:

SfYP East Herts Team projects
SfYP Broxbourne Team projects

• The ParkPlay in Cedars Park, Cheshunt on Saturday morning offers a fantastic opportunity for families to engage in two hours of free community play, while remaining active and spending quality time with their loved ones. Additionally, it provides an excellent opportunity to connect with the local community.

• Sleigh and reindeer to use for fundraising! As the Christmas season approaches, this offer may be of interest to organisations and charities supporting children and families in East Herts. Amwell Rotary Club has a sleigh and reindeer set up (see picture) that they will deliver to a location for local charities and community groups to assist with fundraising. All that the organisations need to do is find a Santa and volunteers for collecting. 

  The contact at Amwell Rotary is Paul Manning - paul.manning3@ntlworld.com

  
   

St Albans & Dacorum

• Mens Group Drop - In Person:
  
  
  • Our Intensive Family Support Team (IFST) for Dacorum and St. Albans are facilitating a group for dads and male carers.
    The group is a drop in and is not a formal course that way anyone can pop in on a monthly basis
  • We are tapping into staff resources and will have a topic to discuss every month including support with challenging behaviour, Internet safety, parenting challenges and the Parenting when Separated Programme, domestic abuse from a male perspective including male and female perpetrators and understanding the LGBTQ+ community
  • This men’s group is a space for male role models in children’s lives to come together and have a positive outlet for concerns and to share their thoughts with other men.

    It will run on the first Monday of each month from 6.00 – 7.30pm at the IFST office, Dacorum & St. Albans, Greenhill Site, Tenzing Road, Hemel Hempstead HP2 4HS. Dates for 2025: November 3, December 1.

  • You can book a place here:- MRProgramme Referral and contact Kingsley.Davis@hertfordshire.gov.uk
     with any questions
    
    
• Services for Young People (SfYP) youth work projects enable young people to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Get details of SfYP projects and information, advice and support services in your area here:

SfYP St Albans Team projects

SfYP Dacorum Team projects

North Herts & Stevenage

• Our Intensive Family Support Team for Stevenage and North Herts, along with DSPL2 have organised some SEND coffee mornings which are a great family networking opportunity. The dates and venues are as follows:-

   

  Please share with your SEND families and more information can be found on the attached leaflet. Contact dspl2@peartreesspring.herts.sch.uk should you require any further information.

• The ParkPlay in Jackmans Park, Letchworth on Saturday morning offers a fantastic opportunity for families to engage in two hours of free community play, while remaining active and spending quality time with their loved ones. Additionally, it provides an excellent opportunity to connect with the local community 

• No More Service is a youth service in Stevenage and North Herts, which offers support to young people aged 11-21 across Hertfordshire to address the impact alcohol, substance misuse and/or offending have on all areas of a client’s life and help them develop practical solutions to address these. Clients have to fulfil at least three of the relevant criteria to be accepted onto the Service, find out more here and download the referral form here.

• Services for Young People (SfYP) youth work projects enable young people to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Get details of SfYP projects and information, advice and support services in your area here:
  • SfYP North Herts Team projects
  • SfYP Stevenage Team projects 

• One of Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue's many community and youth engagement activities is their established Fire Cadet Programme aimed at young people aged 14-17 years and is free of charge to join.

  Fire Cadets participate in practical and theoretical fire and rescue service activities, including hose drills, breathing apparatus procedures and fire safety awareness sessions. The scheme teaches young people essential life skills such as self-discipline, confidence and leadership.

  We are currently recruiting for the new academic year (September 2025 intake) at our Royston Cadet unit based at the Royston Fire Station, Baldock Streeton, Royston, SG8 5BD, Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

  I have attached an information leaflet for any of your students who maybe interested in joining. There is an online application form on our service webpage which interested parents or children can complete Children and young people | Hertfordshire County Council

Welwyn Hatfield

• GALLERIA PROUD TO SUPPORT DRIVING AID TO UKRAINE

  The Galleria, Hatfield is honoured to be partnering with Driving Aid to Ukraine, a not-for-profit organisation that helps deliver UK aid directly to Ukraine's borders.

   Established charities often find it challenging to deliver and operate within conflict zones, so the organisation helps fill that gap, and The Galleria is proudly supplying storage for the donations they have received.

   44 pallets are currently being stored at The Galleria. These predominantly contain children's clothing which will be distributed to orphanages, IDP individual families, children's hospitals, and care centres.

  There is also 5 tons of disinfectant which will be distributed to hospitals, rehab units and IDP centres, with further medical equipment on its way.

  13 million Ukrainians (30% of the population) are displaced; many have lost everything, including loved ones. There is an increase in single-parent families and orphans, so raising funds to pay for fuel to transport aid is a priority.

  There are number of ways that support can be provided to Driving Aid to Ukraine. To donate to directly cover transport costs please visit https://drivingaidtoukraine.org/donate-now.

  The organisation is also currently requiring volunteers with experience in gaining corporate donations, grant writing and general fundraising. If interested, please contact Michael at m.p.byrne1@icloud.com.

   Anthony Greener, Retail Manager at The Galleria said “We are delighted that we are able to support Driving Aid to Ukraine by providing them with the storage they require. The work they are doing to coordinate donations being delivered to Ukraine is invaluable.”

   For more information about the organisation and how you can help, please visit https://drivingaidtoukraine.org/ 

• Services for Young People (SfYP) youth work projects enable young people to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Get details of SfYP projects and information, advice and support services in your area here:

  • SfYP Welwyn Hatfield Team projects

• Caudwell Youth Referrals : Caudwell Youth mentors at-risk young people aged 11-24 years into new futures.  They have openings for referrals in Welwyn/Hatfield areas.  Parents and young people, as well as professionals can refer/self-refer if required.

  Caudwell Youth -  Please complete the online form. Application Form - Caudwell Youth 

  • Please remember to create a unique username for each young person you refer
  • Add the young person's details not your own (it will feel like it’s asking for yours)
  • Add as much risk information as possible 
  • Please complete all relevant questions

   Each new referral will be triaged and placed on a short waiting list, before being assigned to a member of the team, if we require more information, the Area manager will contact you before we accept the referral. 

  If you have any questions, please get in touch. 

Watford, Three Rivers Hertsmere

• Find out more about Home-Start in Watford, Three Rivers & Hertsmere -

• Services for Young People (SfYP) youth work projects enable young people to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Get details of SfYP projects and information, advice and support services in your area here: 

  • SfYP Watford Team projects

  • SfYP Three Rivers Team projects

  • SfYP Hertsmere Team projects
    
    
• The ParkPlay in Aycliffe Park, Borehamwood on Saturday morning offers a fantastic opportunity for families to engage in two hours of free community play, while remaining active and spending quality time with their loved ones. Additionally, it provides an excellent opportunity to connect with the local community

• The Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service runs many community and youth engagement activities, one of which is an established Fire Cadet Programme, aimed at young people aged 14-17 years, and is free of charge to join.

  Fire Cadets participate in practical and theoretical fire and rescue service activities, including hose drills, breathing apparatus procedures and fire safety awareness sessions. The scheme teaches young people essential life skills such as self-discipline, confidence and leadership.

  We are currently recruiting for the new academic year (September 2025 intake) at our Watford Cadet Unit, which is based at our Watford Fire Station, WD17 2AG and at our Royston Cadet unit based at Royston Fire Station, SG8 5BD. Both units run on a Wednesday evening from 6.30pm – 8.30pm, term time only.

  There is an online application form on our service webpage which interested parents or children can complete Children and young people | Hertfordshire County Council

  If you have any enquiries about the Cadet Programme or any of the youth engagement activities, please do not hesitate to contact HFRS.youth@hertfordshire.gov.uk