The Future of Family Hubs: Parliament Event

There was a real buzz in the Jubilee Room in Parliament as I walked in on 11th September. It was a room chock full of practitioners and supporters of ‘Family Hubs’, a model to bring all support for children and families together under one roof and one network. The event was co-organised by Spurgeons and The Family Hubs Network, two charities who together advocated for the Family Hubs model as the best way to support families.  And the idea makes a lot of sense: the last thing families need is to traipse from one government building to the next, re-telling their story over again and asking for support from five different agencies who aren’t speaking to one another. We see this sort of siloed service support in many other government services such as the NHS and employment support. I’ve lost count of how many forms I’ve had to help my refugee lodger fill in with the same story every time.  So - the potential for Family Hubs to really provide the holistic, wrap-around support that vulnerable families and exhausted parents need makes a lot of sense.

What are Family Hubs?‍

The late Conservative government were so convinced by the idea that it became one of their flagship schemes, rolling out funding in 2022-4 for 75 Local Authorities across the country to set up and open Family Hubs. The idea is to have lots of services for families under one roof so that families can access what they need with less faff and more trust. Many of these Family Hubs came and presented in Parliament about the success they have had in supporting families needs all under one roof.

What is the new Government’s plan?

Whether the new Labour Government is planning on continuing to fund and promote this inherited Family Hubs model was the question on everyone’s lips. We heard from Children’s Commissioner as she emphasised the importance of Family Hubs and what she had learned from visits to Scandanavian countries about the importance of early intervention and crime rehabilitation for teenagers. In the wake of the summer riots where we saw children as young as 12 sentenced to prison, this feels like an increasingly pressing need. 

Then the Children’s Minister, Janet Daby, spoke. Her passion for and expertise in the subject was clear as she spoke of her early training and work as a social worker. She affirmed the importance of Family Hubs but wouldn’t commit to ensuring their financial future until we know the results of this Autumn’s budget and spending review.

What strengths can churches bring to Family Hubs?

Alongside offering families comprehensive support to save the stress of going to multiple different places, family hubs are also able to reach families better in the first place. We heard about Family Hubs based in community cafes and libraries which were able to meet parents who wouldn’t usually come to a government building. We heard about a particularly amazing Family Hub run by Spurgeons based in a prison so that they could offer specialised support to families with an incarcerated loved one.

Churches are another way to reach families that need support. The key moment for me was when Emma Malcolm, a good friend of ChurchWorks, spoke about the reach, support and love she has been able to offer through their ‘Bridge the Gap’ project at Bridge Church in Bury St Edmunds formally becoming part of their local family hub. It was great to see such an amazing, holistic and dedicated church-led project be showcased in Parliament along with the others. It’s a testament to the inspired work of Emma and her team and a clear indication of why ChurchWorks will continue to work with churches and Local Authorities to promote the inclusion of churches in Family Hubs networks.

We are excited that we’ve been working with Bristol City Council for the last few months to increase their Family Hubs’ engagement with churches and faith groups across the city. Watch this space as we continue that work of building good faith and trust with the ultimate aim of better supporting vulnerable families across Bristol.