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New family hubs to transform support for parents and children across Plymouth

Plans to transform support for local families with children of all ages, are one step closer. 

Last year, Plymouth City Council asked for views on proposals to expand children’s centres, and bring other family support services closer together, to transform the way that local services are delivered through a network of family hubs.  

At the Cabinet Meeting last night, it was agreed that a new Family Hubs Innovative Partnership will be created. It will be made up of local organisations who will work together to support children and their wider families. It will bring services together, for example, family and parenting support, young carers services, and youth work, across voluntary and community services and those provided by the Council.  The Partnership will make sure that the voices and views of children, young people and families is at the heart of the design of future services.

The Hubs aim to not only help keep children and young people safe and protected, but they will also have a focus on prevention and early intervention. 

The Hubs will work with local families, providing support early to try prevent problems getting worse, and avoid families needing more formal intervention from statutory services such as children’s social care.

Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People for Plymouth City Council, said: “This pandemic has caused unparalleled challenges for many people in Plymouth, but it has been particularly difficult for many vulnerable families who need the most support. 

“Our new Family Hub partnership model we are developing focuses our resources in the areas of most need and should, for many, provide a more effective service because we’ll be working far more closely across our services and with partners to provide integrated support in one place. It will transform the way we provide support to local families.”

This week, the Council approved that the plans can move forward. Work will begin, to launch an innovation partnership to work with the Council and other partners in the city, to start to design the way the Hubs will support families from 2022 onwards.