Family Hubs are a universal front door for families, and offer a wide range of support services across different areas.
Family Hubs are for all families, focusing particularly on those facing social or economic challenges and minority groups who are more likely to experience inequalities or exclusion.
Family Hubs will provide support services for families from pregnancy, through childhood, and up to age 19 (or 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities).
Family Hubs also offer services through Start for Life, which aims to improve the health of babies and children from conception, throughout pregnancy and up to the age of 2.
The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is managed by the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), responsible for working with 75 local authorities to deliver local Family Hubs across the UK.
Haringey has been selected as one of these 75 local authorities.
The programme started in autumn 2022 with funding currently available until March 2025. We are producing plans to ensure the hubs continue after that date, in line with other similar local programmes.
We are to open 4 Family Hubs in Haringey.
Key dates so far:
We have been allocated over £3 million in government funding to spend, but the DfE has been specific in how we can spend the money. All funds must be used to meet the programme's minimum requirements, covering the following areas:
Family Hubs are for children and young people aged 0 to 19 years and their parents/carers, however, the majority of the funding is focused on the Start for Life. This includes:
Grant funding must be used to build on existing services and extend and improve the current local family support available.
The spend is monitored by the DfE and Haringey will regularly submit reports to evidence progress. Failure to demonstrate progress can lead to the DfE withdrawing or reclaiming funding back from Haringey.
We are working with senior leaders, managers and commissioners from our local health, social care, education and voluntary (VCS) organisations so that each Family Hub is designed to meet the needs of the local community.
The programme is being overseen by the Start Well Board, a multi-agency group of professionals which is chaired by the Director of Children's Services.
The Family Hubs oversight group, chaired by the Assistant Director of Early Years Help, and the Family Hubs implementation group, chaired by the Head of Service for Early Help, are responsible for the leadership and day-to-day management of the programme.
Delivery of the work is being coordinated by our Family Hubs programme manager.
