Calderdale Council: More family hubs on the way across Calderdale offering support and advice for parents

Calderdale Council is one of 75 local authorities to receive funding from the Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care to invest in the hubs.

Having opened a pilot hub at the Jubilee Centre in central Halifax six months ago, more Calderdale families will soon have access to more services close to home to help give babies, children and young people the best start in life, says the council.

All children’s centres will become family hubs – providing the same wide range of services and support that children’s centres do with the addition of new services that support families and children aged from birth to 19 – or 25 for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The extra services include help with infant feeding, a new service to support the mental health of new families, child development and more speech and language therapy, a new programme to support dads, more support from other families, and opportunities to volunteer to support easier access to health advice for the whole family.

Help is available online too with a new digital platform – https://calderdalefamilyhubs.org.uk .

Each family hub network brings together services including family support, early help, breastfeeding support, midwives, health visitors, GPs and their teams, therapists, youth services and activities for young children.

The network will also include other local organisations and groups that work with families and young people, such as schools, libraries, youth provision and parent and toddler groups.

Support can be in person at a family hub, out in the community, at home or online. Parents, carers and local community groups are involved in the development and delivery of hubs, said cabinet member for Public Health, Coun Tim Swift.

“It’s great to start growing our family hubs network, bringing together more services where families live – from getting advice and early help, to meeting other local families, taking part in activities and joining groups,” he said.

Coun Adam Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge), council cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services, said giving children the best start in life is a longstanding commitment.