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Our family hub services are based on the needs of local people and provide children and families with all the help and support they may need.

The offer of early help support starts in the antenatal period for parents-to-be and provides help up to families until your child reaches primary school.

If you are looking for childcare, private day nurseries or after school provision, please contact the FIS Families information service on this number 01642 444532

What does the family hub offer?

Open access groups, just drop in: -

• Breast Friends – A social group for breast feeding families with planned fun activities. Come along for a chat and get to know other breast-feeding families in the area. Support is also available from our trained staff. We also welcome pregnant parents to be. The Breastfeeding Helpline is available 365 days a year from 9:30am until 9:30pm and can be contacted by calling 0300 100 0212.
• New Parents Group - An open access group for new parents who have recently had a baby, with opportunities to play, explore and learn.  Support and discussion around baby’s brain development, sensory play, sleep, routines and general advice and guidance is available. A chance to chat with other new parents. This session is available from new-born until they become mobile.
• Little Explorers - This session is aimed at children under five years, to provide active play opportunities for families using our family hub space to play, explore and learn, and meet other families from your local area.
• Healthy Start Vitamins - Free vitamins from public health can be sourced through your local family hub. If you are pregnant, if you are breastfeeding or have children under four who have stopped taking formula milk, these vitamins are for you.

Bookable open access groups

• HENRY Starting Solids – Introducing solid foods at six months. Come to a Starting Solids workshop to help you get your baby off to a great start. The workshop will help you decide when your baby is ready to try solid food, what foods to start with, when your baby is hungry and when they’ve had enough; and how to make mealtimes an enjoyable experience for both of you.
• HENRY Workshop Eat Well for Less - Eating Well for Less is a free one off session that helps you build confidence when shopping on a budget. This programme supports with simple, low cost meals and weekly recipes; including tips for a cheaper healthy, shopping basket and making small changes that make a big difference. The helpful resources available are a great way to get the whole family involved in setting healthy habits.
• HENRY Workshop Fussy eating – Fussy eating is a free one off session: As a parent, it’s natural to worry if your child isn’t eating well. But if this is something you’re struggling with, you’re not alone. If your child has become more restricted in the foods they eat as they’ve got older,  there are things we can do as parents to help them become more adventurous eaters. The helpful resources available are a great way to get the whole family involved in setting healthy habits.

Find out more by downloading the Family Hub and Health Visitors pathway document below. This outlines what the services do and how they can help and support your family:

• Document

  Integrated Pathway - Family Hubs and Health Visitors together.pdf (PDF, 3.58MB)

We also offer a range of referral only programmes including:

• Wriggle, Read and Rhyme with Bookstart (2-3 year olds) – a session for parent/carer and child aged two years and above in a group environment. This session promotes early communication and language whilst supporting parents to improve the home learning environment by regularly sharing stories, books and rhymes.
• Chat, Sing and Read at Home (0-2 year olds) – a package of support delivered in the home to enhance the home learning environment whilst promoting communication and language. Families will also be supported to access community groups in their local area;
• Early Years Parenting Support (0-5 year olds) – support and information is provided to help parents feel more confident in parenting including topics such as regarding routines and boundaries;
• HENRY Health Families, Right from the start (8 week programme) – HENRY supports families in choosing healthy lifestyles, including making health food choices for their children and gives parents and carers ideas for lots of fun ways to get children moving around.
• Home Safety Assessments – This is an assessment visit which looks at risks within the home environment followed by advice on equipment and how to keep the home safe.  Safety messages will be shared, and a Fire Safety Referral may be completed to the Cleveland Fire Brigade if necessary. Aimed at families with children aged 0-5 years old.

Families may be referred into these programmes in a number of ways including:

• Health Visitors,
• School Nurses,
• Your local school,
• Your local family hub to discuss.

If you could benefit from any of these programmes, contact your local family hub to discuss. You can find information about how to contact your local family hub on the 'find your local family hub' page.