New Wolverhampton Family Hubs begin opening to provide vital SEND support
The first of Wolverhampton's new Family Hubs have officially opened their doors this week.
Low Hill Family Hub and Dove Family Hub in Pendeford are among eight family hubs which will be unveiled across Wolverhampton over the next couple of months, providing hundreds of families with help and advice from conception to the age of 19, or 25 for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).
Wolverhampton is one of 75 areas in England to benefit from a share of investment totalling £300 million from the Government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme to create the new Family Hubs.
They will act as ‘one stop shops’, offering guidance and advice on a range of circumstances to support families through pregnancy and beyond, including infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, health visiting support and parenting classes.
The hubs provide a wide range of other services, including stay and play sessions and birth registrations, and bring together wider wraparound services that can make a huge difference to people who need extra support, such as advice on benefits and welfare rights, getting into work, relationship building and stopping smoking.
Alongside the existing hubs will be Bingley Families Hub in Pennfields, Rocket Pool Families Hub in Bilston, Eastfield Families Hub in Wolverhampton, Graiseley Families Hub in Whitmore and the Children's Village Families Hub in Wednesfield, with the majority of Hubs opening in June and July.
Each Family Hub will be open from Monday to Friday initially, with some services offered at evenings and weekends in due course. Help and support will also be provided from other locations in the community.
Councillor Chris Burden, Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for education, skills and work, said: “A Family Hub is a place where children, young people and their families can go when they need support.
"Professionals working in the Family Hub will be able to provide a wide range of information and advice, and help people get support from different services in their local area.
"We have already pioneered the use of Strengthening Families Hubs over the last few years, providing multi-agency support to young families.
"Now, as part of the national Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are able to expand the work of the hubs and help even more people.
“The Family Hubs will offer a wide range of activities, with weekly timetables.
"These include regular stay and play sessions for parents, carers and their children, breastfeeding support groups, coffee mornings, child development clinics, parental support sessions and much, much more."
He added: “Getting help from a Family Hub is simple – you can walk in, telephone or a professional can refer you.
"Our ambition is for every family to receive the support they need, when they need it.
"All families should have access to information and tools so they are able to care for and interact positively with their babies and children, and to look after their own wellbeing, too.
“We are very proud of our work to put families at the heart of all we do, and this is a great chance for the council and its partners to go even further for our children and families."
For more information, go to wolverhampton.gov.uk/familyhubs
