More families are set to benefit as Stockport Council and partners launch One Stockport Family Hubs in Heatons and Reddish.

One Stockport Family Hubs are networks of support enabling easier access to information and help on all aspects of family life. They bring together the council, NHS and voluntary sector groups in local neighbourhoods to provide a `one-stop-shop` for early help, public health, and support services. They support children and young people from pre-birth up to age 19, or 25 for young adults with special needs. 

Councillor Wendy Meikle, Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Families, says: “It is fantastic to see more of these vital hubs opening. Having one place in the heart of a local community that children and families can go to for in-person information, help and support when they need it will help improve families` lives.

"One Stockport Family Hubs are one of the many ways we are bringing together services, organisations and groups so our residents can access what they need in one place. We know accessing information and support can be complicated, and we want to make it easier for people to help themselves, their families, and those they care for.

"It is great to hear the positive feedback we have received since the opening of the first Family Hubs and know that they are providing a circle of support for families and communities. This is exactly what we set out to do."

One Stockport Family Hubs support is available in different ways:

• Visit a Family Hub site at Westmorland Drive, Brinnington, Garners Lane, Adswood or Abingdon Road, Reddish Vale. All are open to families from across Stockport.
• You can access Family Hubs support in your community from friendly staff who know local families and have received Family Hubs training. Community partners in the Family Hubs network include local libraries, Life Leisure Hubs and now also Stockport Homes.
• Families across Stockport can also use the online Family Hub anytime, any day, to find information, help and support.

One Stockport Family Hubs networks are based on the nationally recognised Stockport Family model which integrates NHS services and incorporates successful local services such as Start Well and Mosaic. 

Nic Firth, Chief Nurse at NHS Stockport Foundation Trust said: “For years, our midwives, health visitors and school nurses have been working together with Stockport Council as part of Stockport Family, bringing health services closer to where children and their families live, learn and play.  Family Hubs take this effective model further, joining up more support at a local level, and providing good care and support for families with children of all ages.”

Support ranges from early help with infant feeding, language and communication, public health issues such as mental health support for parents and carers and drug and alcohol misuse and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to advice on relationships, cost of living, practical support with school and education, skills training, and next steps post-18.

Stockport is one of 12 Local Authorities to receive funding through the Department for Education (DfE) Family Hubs Local Transformation Fund to develop and implement Family Hubs. This week`s opening follows the launch of Family Hub networks in Brinnington, Werneth, Edgeley, Offerton, Great Moor and Hazel Grove last October. By September 2024, the council will have One Stockport Family Hub networks across the borough.