Bingley Family Hub, on Norfolk Road, Pennfields, joins 2 existing family hubs – in Low Hill and Pendeford – in providing families with help and advice on a wide range of matters.
Wolverhampton is one of 75 areas in England to benefit from a share of investment totalling £300 million from the Government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme to create the new Family Hubs.
The hubs act as ‘one stop shops’, offering guidance and advice on a range of circumstances to support families through pregnancy and beyond, including infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, health visiting support and parenting classes.
They provide a wide range of other services, including stay and play sessions and birth registrations, and bring together wider wraparound services that can make a huge difference to people who need extra support – such as advice on benefits and welfare rights, getting into work, relationship building and stopping smoking.
By the end of next month there will be 8 Family Hubs across the city, established at the locations of the city’s existing Strengthening Families Hubs:
- Low Hill Families Hub, serving Low Hill and The Scotlands, 26 to 28 Fourth Avenue, Low Hill WV10 9LZ (now open)
- Dove Families Hub, serving Bushbury, Oxley and Pendeford, Grangefield Close, Ryefield WV8 1XF (now open)
- Bingley Families Hub, serving Penn, Merry Hill and Penn Fields, Norfolk Road, Pennfields WV3 0JE (now open)
- Rocket Pool Families Hub, serving Bilston, Bradley and Ettingshall, Rocket Pool Drive, Bilston WV14 8BH (opening later this month)
- Eastfield Families Hub, serving East Park, Eastfield and Portobello, Colliery Road, Wolverhampton WV1 2QY (opening next month)
- Graiseley Families Hub, serving Blakenhall, Springvale and All Saints, Pool Street, Blakenhall WV2 4NE (opening next month)
- Whitmore Reans Families Hub, serving Tettenhall, Whitmore Reans and Dunstall, Lansdowne Road, Whitmore Reans WV1 4AL (opening next month)
- The Children's Village Families Hub, serving Wednesfield, Heath Town and Ashmore Park, Graiseley Lane, Wednesfield WV11 1PE (opening next month)
Each Family Hub will be open from Monday to Friday initially, with some services offered at evenings and weekends in due course. Help and support will also be provided from other locations in the community.
Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “I am delighted that 3 of our 8 new Family Hubs are now open and supporting local families – and that the other 5 will be opening their doors in the coming weeks.
“A Family Hub is a place where children, young people and their families can go when they need support. Professionals working in the Family Hub will be able to provide a wide range of information and advice, and help people get support from different services in their local area.
"We have already pioneered the use of Strengthening Families Hubs over the last few years, providing multi agency support to young families. Now, as part of the national Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are able to expand the work of the hubs and help even more people.
“The Family Hubs will offer a wide range of activities, with weekly timetables. These include regular stay and play sessions for parents, carers and their children, breastfeeding support groups, coffee mornings, child development clinics, parental support sessions and much, much more.
“And getting help from a Family Hub is simple – you can walk in, telephone or a professional can refer you.”
For more information, please visit Family Hubs.
