On Wednesday we launched our newest Family Hub in Penistone, hosting a fantastic day for families to take part in fun activities, find out more about the support available to them, and chat to some of our services. Our Family Hubs are here to support all families, including those with older children, and we were pleased to launch our Penistone Hub with the council’s Targeted Youth Support Service.
Following a speech by Cllr Trevor Cave, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services, families were warmly welcomed inside the new Hub to meet a wide range of family support services who can offer expert guidance in the local community whenever they need it. There were also some fantastic activities for families to get involved with, from pencil case decorating and badge making to a gaming tent.
Our new Family Hub and Start for Life Hub centres mark the next phase in delivering our family and start for life services, building on the success of the pilot Family Hub launch and the public consultation held in August 2023. Our Family Hubs offer support to families with children from 0 up to 19 years old, and up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Our range of professionals, including health visitors, early help workers, midwives, mental health support services, employment advisors, adult learning specialists, and various other partners, will be available at the centres to help families receive the right support at the right time.
Cllr Trevor Cave, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services, said: “It was great to see so many families come along to the launch of our Penistone Family Hub last week – to not only take part in fun activities but to find out how our Hubs can support them. We hope that as many people as possible will take advantage of this and the other Family Hubs and Start for Life services throughout the community to get the help and support they need.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the teams across all the services that have helped to launch the Hub – thanks to your work, our young children and families will get a lot of benefit from the support we offer here. We’ll continue to work with our partners in health and across many groups who work with families to make sure our children get the very best start in life on their journey into young adulthood here in Barnsley.”
The Family Hubs and Start for Life project is a £3.4 million investment over three years to make sure families flourish in the Barnsley area. From birth right the way through to young adulthood, we're here for you through Family Hubs, which are easily accessible throughout the borough.
Barnsley families will also be able to access a wide range of services and activities online on the Virtual Family Hub and in other community locations through our Family Hubs in the Community pop-up services. This includes venues such as libraries, youth centres, schools, early years settings, health settings, community centres and faith buildings.
For further information, you can visit the Virtual Family Hub or the Family Hubs Facebook page.
