Family hubs offering parenting support and youth services are set to be rolled out across every council in England, ministers have announced.
The Department for Education is investing £500 million, targeting disadvantaged communities, to establish a 'Best Start' family hub in every local authority by April 2026.
The Education Secretary said the scheme would "give a lifeline" to families. This nationwide expansion follows an initial rollout to 75 local authorities in early 2024.
Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s said, “We warmly welcome the government’s decision to expand family hubs, so that more children and families will have access to the vital support these one-stop-shops provide, when and where they need it, and long before they reach crisis point. At Barnardo’s, we have a long history of providing these critical services, that are a lifeline for so many families.
“With almost a third of children growing up in poverty, and increasing numbers struggling with their mental health, arriving at school without the necessary skills to manage in the classroom, and in too many cases entering the care system, this announcement could not come soon enough. Working alongside other universal services like health and schools, family hubs are uniquely well placed to help parents and children to thrive, from pregnancy and early childhood, all the way to adulthood, with evidence showing significant long-term benefits both to children and to the state.
“We have long called for investment in a family hub in every community, and today’s announcement marks an important step towards that goal – rightly focusing on local areas where families are most in need of help.”