Blackpool Council's children's centres have now grown into Family Hubs – a one-stop shop for a variety of services for children, young people and families.
Located in the north, central and south areas of the town, the three Family Hubs offer support, activities and sessions to local families with children aged 0-19, or up to 25 for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Each hub has a varied timetable of classes, events and activities on offer and will provide families with the support they need, at the time they need it, from pregnancy through to adulthood.
Family Hubs are also the home for the Start for Life offer. This is a range of services which support expectant parents, children and families in the first 1,001 days of a child’s life – from conception right through to age 2.
The Central Family Hub (formerly known as Talbot and Brunswick Children’s Centre) is located on Gorton Street, the North Family Hub (formerly known as Grange Park Children’s Centre) is located at 31 Dingle Avenue, and the South Family Hub is now inside Palatine Leisure Centre on St Anne's Road.
Family Hubs are for all children and their families in Blackpool. Residents are welcome to access any of the three hubs even if it isn’t the one closest to their home or in the area that they live.
The three hubs offer a wide variety of activities including stay-and-play sessions for under-5s, wider health services such as midwifery and health visiting, and help for new and expectant parents to develop their practical parenting skills.
Families can also visit a hub for advice and support around mental health, relationship support, cost of living tips, training and job opportunities and help to access specialist support if they need it.
Activities and sessions are delivered at the hubs as well as through a network of connected providers and places like schools, libraries and community centres. In the coming months, families will be able to access some services online.
Funding for the new services comes from the government’s £300m investment to establish a national Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
Blackpool is also one of 14 trailblazer areas chosen to receive additional funding from the government's programme, to fast-track delivery of these new services.
Chantelle Eva benefits from the parenting support on offer at the South Family Hub. She said:
Gareth Salthouse is a regular user of the Central Family Hub. He said:
Carla Russell also uses the Central Family Hub. She added:
Cllr Jim Hobson, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
Parent and Carer Panels have been set up to make sure the community are at the heart of decision making, designing services and giving feedback to make changes where they live.
Panels are made up of parents with children initially in the start for life period (0-2 years) and are designed to scrutinise how services are delivered and how well they work. In the future, they will need parents with children across the age range.
If this is something you would be interested in learning more about, visit your local Family Hub and speak to a member of the team or call 01253 476480.
To find out more, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/FamilyHubs