County awarded £1M to create family support hubs

County Hall was one of only 12 local authorities to be given the money by the government to help families get the help they need.

Councillor Deborah Taylor, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for children and families, warmly welcomed the announcement which will see a network of ‘family hubs’ created.

She said: “We’re delighted to be rolling out this scheme, which we believe will help give our families the best start in life.

"There is a lot of information and tools out there to support parents in caring for their children and own wellbeing, but it is not always clear how, and where, to access it all.

“The family hubs, whether in a building or accessed ‘digitally’, will be places where information, advice and support can be easily found in one place.

"The idea is to provide seamless support and the best start right from the get-go, and help parents and carers navigate parenting from conception, through the early years into the start of adulthood.”

The Department for Education (DfE) launched the £12million family hubs transformation fund in November 2021 to support local authorities in England to open family hubs.

The DfE said it received 84 bids from upper-tier local authorities.

A spokesperson said: “The volume of applications showed a real appetite for change, and the high quality of bids reflected passion and dedication to delivering for children and families.”