Sandwell Council welcomes the announcement that it has been successful in its bid to sign up to the government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
This is as part of a package of government announcements demonstrating progress towards implementing the Best Start for Life vision, of which the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is a crucial part.
Councillor Simon Hackett, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Education, said: “Here at Sandwell Council we are committed to giving children and young people the best possible start in life. We share the view that family hubs are vital tools to support children and their families in order to boost their life chances.
“The council has been awarded up to £4.3million through the Government’s family hub and start for life programme. The council will receive this funding over a three-year period and it is intended to enhance family hub provision across Sandwell, rather than to develop a single site, building on our seven existing children’s centres but actively exploring a hub and spoke arrangement, with ‘spokes’ at other locations across the borough”
Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults Social Care and Health, said: “Our ambition is to develop an integrated, multi-agency, family support offer across the whole borough. This would bring together services such as early years, health visiting, mental health, midwifery, parenting support, welfare rights advice and housing, with an initial focus on achieving this for services focussed on the first two years of life.“