Tameside's newly-opened Family Hubs are being boosted with commissions for programmes and support to help parents and carers.
Family Hubs have opened in buildings in each of Tameside's four neighbourhood areas, with facilities also available at other community venues.
A series of open days showcased the facilities available and were well attended with parents and children enjoying the free activities and benefitting from the support and facilities available.
Tameside Council's Executive Cabinet has now approved the project's proposed commissioning intentions to strengthen the offer further and help give children the best start in life.
Cabinet acknowledged the progress made and the delivery plan's approval from the Department of Education.
The plan includes training practitioners in supporting parents with home learning environments, which will support educational recovery and the school readiness of children who were babies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding is also being invested in parenting programmes that will be expanded across the borough.
There's also further Infant Feeding Support with an increase in the number of breast pumps available in a community loan scheme and the launch of a #breastfeedvictories campaign.
Tameside's Family Hubs are:
- West Family Hub (Denton, Droylsden and Audenshaw), Greenside Lane, Droylsden, M43 7RA. Call: 0161 342 5197. Facilities also available at Tameside Wellness Centre Denton and Denton Town Hall.
- East Family Hub (Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley), School Crescent, Ridge Hill, Stalybridge, SK15 1EA.Call: 0161 342 5533. Facilities also available at Stalybridge Civic Hall and Mossley Children's Centre.
- North Family Hub (Ashton), Trafalgar Square, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 0LL.
Call: 0161 342 2255. Facilities also available at Tameside One and Active Oxford Park. - South Family Hub (Hyde, Hattersley and Longdendale), Hyde Old Road, Flowery Fields, Hyde, SK14 4SQ. Call: 0161 342 5353. Facilities also available at Hattersley Hub and Hattersley Children's Centre and Hyde Town Hall.
Family Hubs also include virtual offers and are for families with children of all ages, from 0 to 19 or up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with a great Start for Life offer at their core, available at www.gotogrowtameside.co.uk.
They act as a 'one stop shop' offering early support to families and young people to help them overcome difficulties and build strong relationships. They bring existing family-help services together to improve access and connections with support including help with infant feeding and perinatal mental health, as well as making it easier to access wider services such as smoking cessation and job advice.
Ensuring that families get the support they need from birth through to adulthood helps with children's educational attainment, wellbeing and life chances, while also improving wider outcomes such as poor mental health and unemployment.
Family Hubs are funded and supported by central Government. Tameside is leading the way after becoming one of 75 areas to be given approval to establish Family Hubs.
A Tameside Family Hubs Steering Group is providing action-focused leadership and oversight. Key partners in the programme include Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside and Glossop Pennine Care, Action Together, schools, Active Tameside, libraries, Greater Manchester Police and HomeStart.
For more information on Family Hubs please visit www.tameside.gov.uk/familyhubs.
