SERVICES for children, young people and families in Redcar and Cleveland will be significantly developed through a transformation plan to be considered by the Council’s Cabinet.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is one of 75 local authorities nationally which have been given the opportunity to access significant funding to join up and enhance services delivered through transformed family hubs in our local communities, which aims to make sure all families can access the support they need.
The Council is set to receive almost £2.7 million over the 3 years of the programme to develop the family hub offer in conjunction with partner agencies. This will see a broader offer of support, longer opening hours and a service which will support children and young people aged 0-19, rather than 0-5 which it is at present.
Additional services would include midwives, Enhanced Maternity Support Workers, Family Action and other community organisations.
To access the funding, the Council needs to adopt the Government’s vision for the future of family hubs and focus on delivering a greater service offer at slightly fewer centres.
The Council has carried out a robust local needs assessment and detailed analysis on the use and future suitability of all centres in the borough and extensive consultation with family hub users to gather their views on what they value in our offer.
After considering the consultation results, it is proposed to relocate family hub services from two current centres to expand the offer at the chosen nine centres. The two buildings at Carlin How and Saltburn would remain community assets and alternative uses would be explored.
Cllr Luke Myer, Cabinet member for Children, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to provide the very best services to children, young people and families over a much longer period of time.
“Giving children the best start in life so they can fulfil their ambitions is a key priority for us, and having a service which will be among the very best in the country is key to achieving that.
“This will be an exciting and transformative change for families in East Cleveland, Redcar, and across TS6. It is part of our wider work to tackle child poverty and deliver for local families, and there will be more developments to come.
“We’re determined to improve the lives of all families in our borough.”