In June 2023, I was happy to attend the launch of Bristol’s three new Family Hubs. Family Hubs are a ‘one stop shop’ offering support and information for all families – up to age 19, or 25 for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

We want to make sure that early help is easily accessible for all families in our city. The purpose of a Family Hub is to help people navigate the challenges they might face with confidence and provide any necessary help. A Family Hub is not an individual service – it is part of a whole system of support designed to help families thrive.

While our first three physical Family Hubs have been in place since last summer, I’m delighted that today we are launching our virtual Family Hubs offer with a new package of e-learning that is available for free for every family in Bristol. The courses will help parents and carers understand their children’s feelings better and how they can best support their children through the years as they develop and grow.

These courses cover a range of topics including pregnancy and post-pregnancy support, advice for how to understand your child or teenager’s mental health, help for understanding relationships, and support for understanding children with additional needs. There are even courses for teenagers to help them understand their mental health and feelings. These are all available in nine languages.

The e-learning is developed by the Solihull Approach alongside the NHS, health experts and parents too. To access the training visit our new Family Hubs website that has resources and support for parents. Just use the code “GROWING” to access Bristol’s courses for free.

This new online offer will complement the help and support that families can access in-person through the physical Family Hubs network – making sure that help is easily on hand to everyone in a way that works for them.

In addition to our Children’s Centres, which we have protected from national austerity, keeping them all open, we have three physical Family Hub sites located in north, south, and central Bristol. These physical hubs are part of our Children’s Centre service and are complemented by community spaces such as our libraries, Wellspring Settlement, The Gatehouse, and The Greenway Centre. We call this a Family Hub campus. Our Family Hubs’ navigators are also on hand. Based within these local communities they can give you straightforward advice and signpost to the services that can help you.

We are proud to be one of 75 local authorities selected by the UK Government to deliver our Family Hubs programme and we’ve received £4.8 million in funding to deliver this work.

The Family Hubs programme will support the overarching aim of our city’s Belonging Strategy, which is that everyone in Bristol will have the best start in life, receiving the information, support and skills they need to flourish into adulthood. And more than this, the Hubs underline our ambition to support all children, families, and young people to thrive.

We know the first two years of a child’s life are critical in terms of life outcomes, which is why at the heart of each Hub is the new Start for Life offer, to help families get off to the best possible start. The services are delivered by Children’s Centre and Nursery staff, voluntary sector partners, health visitors and maternity staff.   

I would encourage any parent or carer to take a look at the support on offer on the Family Hubs website.