Liverpool is opening five Family Hub centres between now and 2025, providing centralised support for all families across the city.
The hubs will be based within the city’s existing network of Children’s Centres, with services for families with babies, children and young people up till the age of 19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities).
At the heart of each Family Hub will be services that help give babies a great start to life, supporting parents through parenting classes, learning support, midwifery, health visiting, infant feeding advice and perinatal mental health support.
Over £4 million has been secured from the Government for the initiative, which will see a range of different organisations coming together in one place offering health, education and community provision.
It means that a family will only have to explain what they need help with once, rather than having to tell many different people, and professionals will work together more effectively to help residents overcome any difficulties they may be facing. The aim is to make services easier to navigate and more joined-up, ensuring families receive the right service at the right time.
Hubs will help families to access a range of help, including support for their physical and mental health, housing and debt advice, youth services, domestic abuse support, as well as services run by the community and voluntary sector. In addition, there will be an enhanced digital offer of online services. Families will be able to access a range of information about infant feeding, parenting support, home learning and a variety of public health services for 0-19 year olds, hosted on Liverpool’s Family Information and SEND Directory.
At the heart of each Family Hub will be services that help give babies a great start to life, supporting parents through parenting classes, midwifery, health visiting, infant feeding advice and perinatal mental health support.
The first Family Hub network will launch later this summer, located at Clubmoor and Ellergreen Children’s Centre and serving the following wards: Norris Green, Clubmoor East, Clubmoor West, Fazakerley North, Fazakerley West, Fazakerley East, Croxteth, Croxteth Country Park, West Derby Muirhead, West Derby Deysbrook, West Derby Leyfield, Sandfield Park, Knotty Ash and Dovecot Park, Old Swan East, Old Swan West, Stoneycroft, Tuebrook Breckside Park and Tuebrook Larkhill.
Tuebrook, West Derby and Yew Tree Children’s Centre and Fazakerley, Croxteth, Stoneycroft and Knotty Ash Children’s Centres will be key connector sites within the Family Hub network.
Children’s Centres across the city will continue to offer services and families can access them in the usual way.
Liverpool City Council’s Lead Member for Family Hubs, Councillor Angela Coleman, said:
“Giving our young people the very best start in life is an absolute priority.
“Our new network of Family Hubs are designed to offer wrap-around support for parents, carers and young people, giving them easy access to health professionals who will be able to support them with any issues they are facing.
“We know that our Children’s Centres already do an incredible job helping young families, and they are well established and trusted places to visit. The Family Hubs will build on their success, providing additional services that are easy to access.
“We will take the learning from our first Family Hub in Clubmoor and apply that as we roll the network out around the city between now and March 2025.”
Dianne Brown, Chief Nurse at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust:
“Giving babies and families the best start is essential.
“These Family Hubs will help to give local families access to a range of maternity related services and support including midwifery health visiting, infant feeding advice and perinatal mental health support.
“We look forward to working closely with our partners at Liverpool City Council to help provide these valuable services to local people and residents.”