As part of the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we have Family Hubs running across the city and in Devon, they are due to be opened in the coming months.
Family Hubs have been designed to enhance the offer of existing Children's Centres by making them available to families throughout their lifetime and to be a single point of access for the health and wellbeing services families may wish to use.
I recently visited the Plympton Family Hub at the Rees Centre which is run alongside the The Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub by Barnardo's. It was great to see the various activities taking place - prenatal checks, baby groups, breastfeeding support groups, a group meeting as part of Timebank South West and also to meet the Character Creation Roleplaying team who provide support for young people not currently in mainstream education.
Plymouth is one of 75 local authorities who received funding from government to deliver Start for Life and Family Hubs. So far there are five across the city. I've been lobbying for one in Plymstock!
Find out more at Better Health Start for Life and www.plymouth.gov.uk/family-hubs-and-start-life-brochure.
