Extra Government funding will help to give children in Northumberland the best start in life after the council was recognised as a “trailblazer” in the development of Family Hubs.  
 

The county’s network of Children’s Centres relaunched as Family Hubs in September 2022 after the council successfully bid to join the Government’s programme.  
 

Midwives, health visitors, early years and mental health professionals, youth staff, and a host of other services - including relationship and parenting programmes, and financial advice – are brought together into a vibrant one-stop-shop that meets the needs of families with children and young people of all ages.   
 

Now, the council has been recognised as one of 14 “trailblazers” and awarded additional funding to help lead the way in the national rollout of the programme particularly around perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationships, infant feeding, and parenting support. 
 

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, Cabinet member with responsibility for Children’s Services at Northumberland County Council, said: “This is brilliant news for families in Northumberland as it brings more investment into services to give our children and young people the best start in life. 
 

“I would like to congratulate the team for their innovation and dedication to making sure the residents of Northumberland can benefit from this opportunity.” 
 

The Family Hubs network is made up of 19 hubs, including outreach posts in more rural areas, mobile play vans, digital and virtual support. 
 

Every day the timetables are packed with activities – and there are also digital and virtual services too to make sure the support is accessible for all.  
 

Audrey Kingham, Director of Children’s Services, Northumberland County Council, said: “We are very proud to be named as a trailblazer local authority. We started in a strong position in Northumberland, with close working relationships in place with midwives, health visitors and education teams, and for a year we have been planning the relaunch of our existing Children’s Centres as Family Hubs.  
 

“This really is a team effort – involving a vast range of partners from across Northumberland including those in the voluntary and community sector. 

 

“There is so much going on and lots of exciting plans so please call in to one of our hubs or look online to find out more.” 

 

For more information visit https://nland.cc/findfamilyhubs   

 

Find out more about life in our Family Hubs on YouTube.