Family Hub sites across Solihull will be opening soon, once refurbishment work finishes.
The Evergreen, Elmwood, Riverside and Hatchford Brook Family Hubs will support children and families with the help and services they need. Each Hub will provide a range of activities and services for young people, including health appointments, stay and plays, youth clubs and help for people with special educational needs. The Hubs have been made possible by £1m of funding from the Department for Education as well as funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The refurbishment works are helping put the finishing touches to the Hubs, making the spaces inviting, welcoming and safe. The works will help to future-proof the buildings and ensure confidential areas for people to discuss matters privately are available at each Hub.
The Hubs will provide a one-stop shop, with the aim of giving children and families the help and support they need, when they need it.
Within the next month, the Evergreen Hub (which is run in partnership with the Colebridge Trust and first opened in autumn 2023) will reopen, alongside the Elmwood and Riverside Hubs.
More extensive works are needed at Hatchford Brook, as the roof is currently being replaced. The Hatchford Brook Family Hub is expected to open in summer 2024. Current users of the hub buildings have received regular updates, and where possible alternative arrangements have been made for them to work elsewhere.
Councillor Tony Dicicco, Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “Our investment in Family Hubs will bring a wide range of services right to the heart of our communities, particularly for people living close to the hubs.
“I am confident the hubs will make a real difference for people across the borough, helping improve health and wellbeing for families and young people.
“I’m pleased that three of the Hubs will be opening next month and look forward to them becoming a valuable community asset.
“It is disappointing that more extensive works are required at Hatchford Brook which has required replacing the roof entirely, pushing back the opening date to the summer.
“However, we have to make sure our buildings are safe and this work will lengthen the life of the building considerably. It just means the building is out of use for a few more weeks than originally expected.”
Councillor Karen Grinsell, the Deputy Leader of Solihull Council said: “I’m looking forward to the Family Hubs opening soon, so services will be available to families who need them, offering the right support at the right time.
“We know the evidence showing how critical the first 1,001 days of life are for a child’s future, so the hubs will be available for people all the way from pregnancy through to adulthood.
“The Family Hubs are a key part of our commitment to supporting children and families, helping our youngest residents thrive.”
The four Family Hubs form one part of a wider Family Hubs programme, which will include both outreach services and a digital offer, including an app for users of the hubs. The Family Hubs programme is focused on prevention and early intervention, supporting families, children and young people before issues escalate.
Find out more about the Family Hubs on the Council website at https://www.solihull.gov.uk/children-and-family-support/family-hubs