Pets Rescued from Accidental House Fire in Fenton, Family Support Services in Staffordshire
Written by Hitmix Local News on 17 October 2024
Staffordshire Firefighters have rescued three dogs, a cat and a hamster following an accidental house fire in Stoke-on-Trent. Crews were sent to the scene shortly after 1 oclock on Tuesday afternoon, when smoke and flames were seen coming from a house on Hollings Street in Fenton. Breathing apparatus and hose reel jets were used to extinguish a fire in the ground floor, the building was checked for hotspots and the electric and gas were isolated. No-one was inside the building at the time and an inspection, the cause was deemed accidental due to an electrical fault.
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A service that delivers early support to families across Staffordshire will continue.
Since 2010, Staffordshire County Council has commissioned family support services, which provides early help for families within the voluntary sector.
Crucially, this service helps children and their families tackle root causes of problems within families, making them less likely to need additional specialist support in the future, reducing the pressure on higher-tier county council services.
With the existing contract for family support set to expire on 31 March next year, the county council’s cabinet considered different options for recommissioning the service and it was agreed that this would go through a competitive tender process, with the new service starting on 1 April 2025.
Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The recommissioning of this service will ensure that we continue to provide high quality support for children and families across Staffordshire when they need it most.
“Over the past 14 years, this service has proven to be invaluable supporting more than 7,800 families from 2018 to 2024 alone. By addressing the root causes of challenges within families early on, we can prevent issues from escalating.
“This is not only crucial for the wellbeing of communities, but it also alleviates the pressures on our specialist services, allowing us to focus resources where they are needed most. Our ongoing commitment to provide early family support will ensure that children in Staffordshire grow up in safe and supportive environments, giving them the best possible start in life.”