Cheshire East outlines plans to enhance its family hub outreach offer

16 July 2024

Cheshire East Council is looking to repurpose up to seven of its children’s centres to further enhance its family hub outreach offer – and wants your views on the proposals.

Family hubs bring council, health and community services together so families with children and young people can access the right help and support, at the right time in one place.

Over the past 12 months, the council has already opened family hubs in five former children’s centres across the borough, expanding services at these sites from an offer for families with children under five to include a 0-19 offer (and up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). A sixth family hub is due to open in Crewe Lifestyle Centre in September 2024.

The family hubs offer the expertise and guidance of numerous community groups, organisations, NHS colleagues and partners of the council – providing vital support for when families need it most.

The council is now looking at the best ways to offer flexible outreach services from other sites from family hubs so it can respond quickly and effectively to changing needs and priorities across the borough. The aim is to improve reach and services to the most disadvantaged communities and remove the barriers that some families face in accessing support, particularly those from rural communities. 

The proposal is to repurpose up to seven existing children’s centres that have not been remodelled into family hubs. The buildings would be used for education, including extending childcare for children aged two and above, extending wraparound provision for primary-aged pupils and delivering additional special educational needs and disabilities provision within local communities.

Councillor Carol Bulman, the council’s lead member for children and families, said: “We want every family in Cheshire East to be able to benefit from the range of services our family hubs offer, so that all those who need support can get it.

“The children’s centres we are proposing to repurpose are each situated on a shared site with a primary school – making them ideal for extended education purposes. Partnership working and co-location such as this is essential for the success of our family hubs, helping us to deliver a flexible outreach service to more families across the borough.

“We are now asking for residents’ view on the options we have put forward for how these buildings will be used. Please do get involved and have your say.” 

Cheshire East Council was one of 12 local authorities that was successful in a bid for a share of the government’s £12m Family Hubs Transformation Fund, announced in May 2022. 

This new delivery model will help the council deliver the family hub services in a more flexible way, while delivering savings needed to help achieve a balanced budget over the next four years. 

The consultation feedback will be considered before final proposals are developed and brought back to committee for a decision later this year.

The consultation is now live and residents can have their say until Friday 13 September at: https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/ChildrensCentres2024/

For more information on the council’s family hubs offer, visit: cheshireeast.gov.uk/familyhubs.