FAQs
Why are you consulting?
Children’s Services are reviewing its service delivery model to make it more efficient and cost-effective for families and our partners to offer Early Help locally. The proposals could also save £1.1 million pounds across different sections of the Early Help service while maintaining a high quality of service in the Community. These proposals mostly affect council services known currently as Children Centres and Youth services.
We are not proposing to remove existing services but rather to remodel the structure of the service so that it delivers what children, young people and their families need in a more accessible, timely and cost-effective way.
What is Early Help?
Early Help or ‘Family Help’ refers to additional services provided by a wide range of professionals and organisations to children and their families when they need extra help and support. This may be in the form of advice, information or direct help that is in addition to all the normal services all children and parents may access such as health services and schools. All professionals that work with children and their parents and carers can provide this additional support, and good early help should be available in a timely manner when a need arises and aims to prevent problems becoming worse. Most commonly early help is provided by midwives, health visitors, school nurses, childcare workers, teachers, youth workers, Family Support workers or children centre staff.
What are Family Hubs and how can they help my children and family?
Family Hubs is a new government initiative that was introduced as policy in 2021. It aims to bring all the services that can support families together to provide easier access and more seamless support. Family Hubs aim to provide a welcoming and friendly environment for children, young people, and their parents/carers. Many universal services such midwifery appointments, anti and post-natal classes, Health Visitor appointments and early child development sessions are provided at Family Hubs. A wider range of additional early help services can also be available to support families that need extra support around areas such as good child development, early learning, age-specific parenting programmes, Children with Special Education needs and disabilities (SEND), positive mental health for children, young people and adults, family conflict and breakdown, bereavement, housing, and food poverty. Staff working at Family Hubs are also very knowledgeable about other local specific services and how to signpost or refer families for additional help.
If a child or family also have several more complex needs, workers at Family Hubs can act as their ‘Lead Professional,’ helping to better understand the problems a family may be experiencing and coordinating a range of services to work together to provide a more comprehensive package of support. This means families should not have to find the support themselves and tell their story more than once.
What is the difference between Children Centres and Family Hubs?
Children Centres and Family Hubs are very similar and offer many of the same services for very young children. However, Children Centres are focused on supporting families with children aged 0- 5 years. Family Hubs will support families with children aged 0-19 years and up to 25 years old for young adults with a disability. Family Hubs will also be open for extended hours into the evening and weekends so that older children and working parents/carer can access services more easily. Family Hubs are also working to ensure the professionals working in a Family Hub are better connected and working as a single team so that services can be provided more seamlessly to families.
Is my local Children’s Centre closing?
BCP Council is committed to developing and operating six Family Hubs that are currently operating as Children Centres. As nothing has been decided, we want your view on where you want to see these centres and what services you would like to see offered from them. The three Children Centres not chosen for Family Hub development are proposed to continue to offer some services to families but not the full range of services as those in Family Hubs. Services that remain at these locations will be based on the local community need for early help services. Services are more likely to be targeted to families in the greatest need of support, and some sessions may only be accessed through a referral from a professional. Any changes to these services will take place in consultation with existing service users.
Is my local Youth Centre closing?
Where possible, places for young people to meet will remain open, they may be operated by organisations other than the council, by people who are skilled at working with young people in their communities. A programme of work has begun to invite partners into the exciting opportunities in working with local Young People and what can be offered and how, is something we are still talking to young people about. The Council will focus on running two Youth Bases where targeted support for adolescents provide enhanced support to young people around issues such as, drugs, alcohol, emotional health and well-being, education, employment and training, healthy relationships, safe decision making, responding to crime and antisocial behaviour, what to do locally that's fun, safe and affordable and how to continue connecting with their local area as the young adults of the future. In addition, the council will be placing youth workers in Family Hubs to support young people and parents, while operating mobile Bus Units that can travel and respond to where communities feel they lack provision for Young People. This flexible youth work provision will provide mobile and agile offers at times and places that young people and communities feel most important, this includes evenings and weekends. Trained and experienced youth workers can then move around the conurbation more readily and provide ‘pop up’ youth provision as and when needed.
Are existing sessions and groups that I attend at my local Children's Centre or Youth Club closing?
We will regularly engage with children, young people, parents, and carers to determine what services you value and need the most, and the services provided by the council will aim to respond to those needs. Where any programme or activity is to change or cease, service users will be consulted and engaged.
Will the services available be open to all children and families?
Yes, Family Hubs and Early Help services are available to all families. Most services will be available to all but a few more limited services may be targeted to children, young people or parent carers that are most in need. As a result, some services may only be available via a professional request. If you feel you would benefit from a particular group or activity, please talk to a member of the council team.
I work full time, and/or my children are in school, making it difficult to access Family Hubs. How will I be able to access the services available?
Improving access to services is a main priority for the Family Hub Transformation. Family Hubs will be open for longer and at weekends to support working families. In addition, we are developing an online ‘Virtual’ Family Hub, where we will be developing access to a wide range of advice, information, and resources that families can access at home without the need to visit a Family Hub.
The council is also developing a wide programme of ‘outreach’ Family Hub services, where it takes the activity or group to where children and families are every day. This may be activities in nurseries and schools, at the local library and even offering home visits and support when this is viewed as the most appropriate way to support a family.