£4 million grant to give helping hand to children in Dudley
Dudley town hall bosses will be giving children in the borough a better start in life with the help of almost £4 million in funding.
The £3.7m for Dudley borough's family hubs and Start for Life Programme has come from the Government.
It is among 75 areas across the country to receive the cash which will be spent in the next three years.
Some of the money will fund the Family Hub Network which will see an existing five family centres become hubs.
Dudley Council said the programme will work with parents to give every child in the borough the best start for life by building on family strengths and improving support for expectant and new parents.
Start for Life funding will specifically help to strengthen parenting support, with a focus on parent and infant emotional relationships, early language and infant feeding. It will also offer access to information about local services for families in the period from conception to two years of age, known as the "First 1,001 Days”.
The network will aim to provide a welcoming experience and one-stop shop offering advice and support for all families with children up to the age of 19, or age 25 if the child has special educational needs or disabilities.
Children services cabinet member Councillor Ruth Buttery said: "As a child-friendly council we strive to put infants, children and young people at the heart of all we do.
"The family hub network will provide all families in the borough with easy access to the support they need all in one place, through a network of joined-up services.
"We want to develop integrated partnerships and teams within the Family Hub Network to support families in the start for life period. Services offered will include midwifery, health visiting, early years specialist, early help. It will be home to other key organisations and workers including the community, voluntary and faith sectors.
"We need to work in equal partnership with parents and families to ensure our network of support is co-designed, evaluated and constantly improved across the borough. A parents and carers forum will be developed to help do this.
"We will make sure they are accessible to all and act as a base to help us build stronger relationships with partners and families in the borough, with the end goal to ensure our children and young people have all the help they need to meet their full potential."
