​Halton’s first ‘Family Hub’ to support children, young people and families has been officially launched at Kingsway, Widnes.

Family Hubs will support families with children and young people aged 0-19 or up to 25 years with special educational needs and disabilities. They will bring services together in one place so that all families have access to information and support they need, when they need it.

The first Family Hub in Halton is located at Kingsway in what was previously known as Kingsway Children’s Centre – now called Kingsway Family Hub.

At the Family Hub launch event at Kingsway on 19 July, the 200+ local families who attended, were able to visit stalls set up on the day to help inform them about all the services on offer in Halton. There were lots of fun activities for children to get involved with and enjoy too!

The official unveiling to mark the launch of the Kingsway Family Hub was carried out by local mum Jen Ascot and her daughter Rose.

Also attending were representatives of the many partner organisations that are coming together under the Family Hub banner. Talking on their behalf, Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board Member for Children and Young People, Cllr Tom McInerney said:

“We know that there is already some great work happening across Halton to support our families. Family Hubs give us the opportunity to work with families and our partner organisations to build on this to ensure that all families can access the right support, at the right time and at a place that is convenient to them.

“We want Family Hubs to be places where everyone feels welcome, so it’s been fantastic to see so many families and children coming together today to be part of this celebration event.

“Today, is just the start of our journey to develop the Family Hub model in Halton. Over the next two years, you will see more Family Hubs in local communities and we will soon be able to announce the location of Runcorn’s first Family Hub. There will also be an online Family Hub offer for those want 24/7 access to information and support. The web address for this is www.haltonfamilyhubs.co.uk“

Halton, was one of 75 local authorities announced on 2 April 2022 as eligible to receive a share of a £301.75 million investment from the Government to establish a Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.

In Halton, the Start for Life offer includes services and sessions supporting:

  • Early language development
  • Infant-feeding advice and specialist breastfeeding support
  • Parent infant relationships and perinatal mental health
  • Parenting support

These sessions will compliment services like Midwife appointments and Health Visitor drop ins.

Family Hubs will also deliver a range of other services and sessions for Halton families which will over time include:

  • Activities for children aged 0-5
  • Debt and welfare advice
  • Domestic abuse support
  • Midwifery and health visiting
  • Housing advice
  • Family support
  • Mental health services
  • Nutrition and weight management
  • Services for children who have or may havespecial educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families
  • Support parent relationships
  • Youth services (universal and targeted), to name a few

For more information on Halton’s Family Hubs visit www.haltonfamilyhubs.co.uk