Peterborough's three 'family hubs' chosen to receive £3m extra cash are revealed

Peterborough’s ‘family hubs’ chosen to benefit from £3 million of Government cash have been revealed.

The Honeyhill Child and Family Centre in Paston and Orton Child and Family Centre in Herlington join the First Steps Child and Family Centre in Dogsthorpe in receiving a share of the funding aimed at improving babies’ start to life.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) announced in February that the First Steps centre – run by Barnardo’s children’s charity – had been chosen to receive a share of the sum.

It has now added that the other two, both run by Barnardo’s, will also receive money from the Department of Education (DfE) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Government scheme is aimed at providing services that will support babies and their families through the “1,001 critical days from conception to age 2”.

PCC says that, at its hubs, this will include supporting services such as “infant feeding, perinatal mental health, parenting support for young children and child development”.

But they won't just support people living in the areas where the hubs are located, it added.

A spokesperson said that “additional support and digital elements” for the hubs are being developed with the aim that all families across Peterborough will be able to access them by March 2025.

The hubs also provide support to older children and teenagers, although the recent bout of funding is aimed at young children.

The money, totalling £300 million, was first announced as part of the Government’s 2021 Autumn Budget.

It was then shared out between 75 local authorities with the "highest levels of deprivation”, including Peterborough.

Local authority data shows that the number of Government-backed Sure Start children’s centres – aimed at giving children the best start in life – dropped from 15 to seven between 2010 and 2022.

They have variously received central and local government support since their inception in the 1990s but many are now run by charities and other private organisations.

All of Peterborough's seven hubs are currently run by Barnardo's.

A PCC spokesperson said: “The ‘Family hubs offer’ is designed to enhance the current support available through child and family centres by developing the offer to support children, young people and families through pregnancy, early years, childhood and adulthood (up to age 19, or 25 for people with special educational needs and disabilities).

“Services will include infant feeding, perinatal mental health, parenting support for young children and child development alongside existing services offered in child and family centres.

“Peterborough City Council are working with the current child and family centre providers, children’s charity, Barnardo’s to establish three primary hubs at First Steps child and family centre in Dogsthorpe, Honeyhill child and family centre in Paston and Orton child and family centres in Herlington.

“Additional support and digital elements of the family hubs services are in development. We aim to provide all families across the city access to the full family hub services, support and digital offer by March 2025."