‘Family hubs’ will be launched to help struggling parents as Rishi Sunak announces £300million boost for national support network
- The Government said the £300million programme will benefit 75 areas
- ‘Family hubs’ will offer help and support for people through to the age of 19
- Read more: RISHI SUNAK and ANDREA LEADSOM on why hubs will help parents
Rishi Sunak unveils plans today to help thousands of new parents cope with the challenges of family life.
In a significant boost to family support, the Prime Minister announces £300million in funding for the rollout of family hubs across England.
In a joint article in the Daily Mail with families’ tsar Dame Andrea Leadsom, the Prime Minister says a new network of 75 family hubs will help struggling parents to ‘form life-long bonds with their babies and children’.
They add: ‘Strong, supportive families also make for more stable communities and happier individuals.
In a significant boost to family support, the Prime Minister announces £300million in funding for the rollout of family hubs across England.
All the data shows that kids with a safe and secure home environment do better at school.
And we all know the long-lasting damage that family breakdown can cause.’
The Government said the £300million programme will benefit 75 areas, with hubs offering support through to the age of 19.
They are designed to act as a ‘one-stop shop’ to offer guidance and advice on issues including breastfeeding, mental health support, health visits and parenting classes.
They will also offer advice on getting into work, relationship building and help to stop smoking.
And they will provide early language and communication development for children to prepare them for school at the age of five.
Children’s Minister Claire Coutinho said: ‘Having children can be really tough as well as bringing so much joy.
‘All families, from time to time, will need a helping hand. Family hubs bring services together helping parents, carers, children and young people to access the support they need more easily.
READ MORE: Families DO matter… and this will help give them the best possible start: RISHI SUNAK and ANDREA LEADSOM on why ‘hubs’ will help struggling parents
‘Parenting advice ranges from support with breastfeeding and mental health to guidance on how to give children a head start on their learning.’
Government sources said the Prime Minister believed that providing support for families could produce wider benefits for society.
In a speech last month, Mr Sunak insisted that politicians ‘shouldn’t be shy’ about promoting the importance of family life.
He said his own family ‘sustains me in the most difficult moments in this job’.
The PM added: ‘Family is something politicians struggle to talk about because you can all too readily be pilloried for being out of touch or, worse, hostile to those who don’t conform to some idealised form.
‘We live in a world today where family can and does take many forms. We cannot not talk about the thing that is most important in most of our lives.
‘Not when the evidence is clear that strong, supportive families make for more stable communities and happier individuals.’
Matt Buttery, chief executive of parenting programme provider Triple P, welcomed the rollout of the hubs.
He said: ‘The cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic have taken their toll on the mental health of young people and the sooner they can access more support the better.’
Source: Read Full Article