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(UK) Plymouth: "Family Hubs" coming; new govt. program

Feb 9, 2023, Plymouth.gov: Future plans for children’s centres in Plymouth https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/future-plans-childrens-centres-plymouth

SW England

Children’s centres in Plymouth will continue their important work supporting families, while plans to grow the services they offer in the future are developed thanks to an innovative new programme.

Plymouth City Council has today been announced as part of the government’s new Start for Life programme which will see the development of Family Hubs across the country with access to additional funding. The aim of the hubs is to provide a joined-up service that’s easy to access for families with children of all ages, where they can find the information, advice and guidance they need.

Following agreement at a Cabinet meeting today, Barnardo’s, Action for Children and LARK who currently run the children’s centres in Plymouth will have their contracts renewed from 1 April 2023 for an additional two years.

The new contracts will see a change to the way services are delivered over time as the city moves towards developing the new multi-agency Family Hubs. Some buildings used by the children’s centres are already shared with partners, such as midwives and health visitors, so options to consolidate locations and create more opportunities to co-locate are being considered to make savings, while still making sure they meet the needs of local families.

A statutory consultation will soon be taking place to get families’ views on the changes, which aim to make sure that spaces are used efficiently and that the help available from the centres is easily accessible to those who need it.

Children’s centres currently support families with children aged 0 to 5, whereas Family Hubs will bring more services together and expand this offer to support those with children aged 0 to 19, or up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs or disabilities. …


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