They are also an important part of the city council’s Family Matters programme, which provides families in the city with all the tips, advice and opportunities they need to thrive.

Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “It’s great news that a brand-new Family Hub is launching in Chell Heath. The vision for Family Hubs is to create easily accessible family support for everyone, in the knowledge that strong family relationships enhance the wellbeing of individuals and communities alike. 

“We know that more early support means more children can remain with their families and fewer children need to come into care. This means every Family Hub is extra vital early help to keep children safely with their families.

“A Family Hub means that families in the area will have access to a wider range of services and activities with the ability to drop in and link with services to support families. It’s also a new and improved centre after we’ve carried out works to the building so I’d encourage families in the area to come down on 24 October and find out what’s on offer.”

Alongside supporting children’s educational attainment, wellbeing and life chances, the Family Hub will provide activities and groups for children and families as well as help with household budgeting, discounted food, pregnancy advice and support. Previously these services could be disjointed and hard to navigate but Family Hubs provide a single access point to support from a range of services.

The launch event had:

• A market stall event for organisations to promote their services and talk to families about how these can be accessed
• The Bread and Butter Thing offering affordable food
• Activities and taster sessions for children and families including:

• • Taster sessions of free universal groups we offer for families (sensory activities, babbling babies sessions, craft activities etc)

• • Parenting courses – practitioners will be on hand to talk about the group work offer, what sessions cover, share feedback from families and explain how families can access these groups
  • Peer support groups who will speak to families about the services and support they offer

• • Outdoor activities for children and families run by partner agencies  

Family Hubs are currently open in Tunstall, Normacot and Bentilee with other sites currently being developed. For 24/7 access to services, or for families that prefer to access online, the city council’s Digital Family Hub is available at https://familyhub.stoke.gov.uk/