Liverpool’s next three Family Hubs launched
Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Liverpool City Council launched three further Family Hub networks on 14 May 2024.
The city now has five Family Hubs, after successful launches in Clubmoor and Ellergreen Children’s Centre last July and Speke in November. As previously, the new Hubs are based within existing Children’s Centres:
- Picton – 139 Earle Road, L7 6HD
- Granby – Eversley Street, L8 2TU
- Fountains – Fountains Road, L4 1QH
The networks will support families in these wards: Edge Hill, Smithdown, Arundel, Toxteth, Greenbank Park, Princes Park, Kirkdale East, Kirkdale West, and Waterfront North.
The launch was marked by a special invitation-only Play Day Event that was supported by the BBC’s Tiny Happy People and attended by families that currently use Children’s Centres, as well as Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson and Family Hub lead, Cllr Lila Bennett.
The Family Hub model is funded by the Department for Education. Liverpool City Council has pledged to offer every family in the city access to this enhanced level of support by March 2025, securing £4m of central government funding to do so.
Family Hubs support families with children aged from 0-19 years, or 25 if a young person has special educational needs or disabilities. This expands the current offer of Children’s Centres which support families with children aged up to five years by building on a wider network of support for older children such as youth services.
Adults also benefit from the Family Hub model, with hubs being a one-stop shop offering wider guidance including debt advice and domestic abuse support, as well as a digital offer to help people access online services.
Cllr Lila Bennett, Liverpool’s lead member for Family Hubs, said:
“We’re so pleased that we have now launched a further three hubs in the city.
“Families all across Liverpool will know about the exceptional support that our Children’s Centres have given over many years and the Family Hub networks are set to expand on that by extending the offer of support up to the ages of 19 or 25 if a young person has SEND.
“By using our brilliant Children’s Centres we can hit the ground running making sure that families all across the city can get the right support at the right time.
“As always, our thanks go to our partners who work so hard alongside us. They have helped make our Children’s Centres the valued parts of the community that they are and I have no doubt that they will be every bit as important in doing the same for the Family Hubs.”
Alison Williams, Delivery Lead for Healthy Children and Families, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said:
“NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is delighted to be working with colleagues in the council, as they launch the next three Family Hubs in our city.
“These Hubs will strengthen our local offer to families, and will build on an existing, trusted network of services that we know make a huge difference to so many people. Combining health and social care pathways in community-based facilities, means that we can reach so many more families and improve their experiences and outcomes.”