What is Family Hub?

Overview of Family Hub

Family Hub is an initiative from the Department of Education and Department for Health and Social Care who are working together to support families with children and young people 0-19, (up to 25 for SEND) to access the right services, in the right place, at the right time.

Derby has been identified as one of 75 local authorities who has been selected for the Family Hub Start for Life funding until March 2025.

The programme relies on the following:

• an understanding of the importance of helping early
• use of the right support packages
• flexibility and good communication
• commitment from all partners especially health
• voluntary sector and wider community support.

The vision for Derby’s Family Hub is to provide families with the integrated support they need to care for their children from conception, throughout the early years, and into the start of adulthood. This will enable parents to establish a firm foundation for their children, from which to meet their full potential in life.

What services are available?

The Family Hub’s online presence is called the Family Hub directory.

Here you will see an area called Family Hubs and children’s centres where you can search for information on what sessions and services run from each hub. There is a map displaying their locality alongside a list of each Family Hub venue and remaining children’s centres. Each Family Hub has a dedicated page with contact details and a search facility to find out ‘What’s on’ as well as a link to the registration form. You can also find out how to refer your families to the targeted services or whether the service is a simply a drop-in.

There is also an area on the directory for services relating to Start for Life.

Sharing Family Hub with families

For Family Hub to become established, it is important that you signpost families to the services and support on offer. Here are some clear messages to share with families:

• Family Hub is for every family living in Derby city. It is not restricted to where you live, and every family is welcome at any Family Hub venue.
• There are youth activities scheduled at each hub every week delivered by voluntary sector partners for children and young people from 8-19 (up to 25 for SEND young people).
• Encourage all families to register with the Family Hub programme.

What will be delivered?

There are multiple strands within the Family Hub Programme and funding is split between these elements:

• Transformation – transform data sharing across services, programme management costs, develop Children Centre’s into Family Hubs and support our voluntary services to deliver activities in the Family Hubs for 0–19 year olds and up to 25 for SEND young people which is being commissioned by Community Action Derby.
• Infant feeding – focusing on 0-2 year olds, this strand will endeavour to increase breastfeeding rates in the city, offering more culturally appropriate venues and feeding support sessions, offer safe formula feeding, weening support and develop a Tongue Tie clinic in the city.
• Parenting support – support for parents and carers with 0–2 year olds offering a range of parenting programmes that are suitable and relevant to our communities. These programmes are all evidence based and will be delivered by a range of staff from Health, Family Hub Staff, Health Visitors in Family Hubs and can be delivered for and by community organisations, that are working with inner city communities.
• Home Learning Environment and Early Language – aimed at families with 0 to 4 year olds this strand will provide opportunities for families to become their child’s first educator, as well as offering early years settings and partners the opportunity to deliver evidence-based programmes through our training offer. Sessions will be delivered in Family Hubs and in the home to provide an accessible home learning pathway supported by cultural opportunities and more intensive support delivered by a dedicated speech and language therapists specialising in SEND and targeted interventions.
• Perinatal mental health and parent infant relationships – aimed at parents, carers, co-parents, and dad’s with 0–2 year olds. We will provide drop-in support sessions, peer support groups, one to one and universal activities that support families who may need additional support in developing positive relationships with their babies and specialising in providing a pathway of support through commissioned partners and working closely with The Beeches Mother and Baby Unit.
• Start for Life and Parent Carer Panels – We will be publishing our start for life offer for families with 0-2’s and are looking to develop a community of voices to become Family Hub Champions to help develop the Start for Life programme and feed into the co-production of our Family Hub work by being a part of our subgroups and partnership board to ensure co-production is at the heart of the programme and can feed into what is needed for families to inform and shape our Start for Life offer across the city.

For more information about Family Hubs programme, read the Family Hubs and Start for Life DfE Guidance.