A multi-million pound investment in children’s services in Redcar and Cleveland has been hailed a success following major increases in numbers of parents and children using Family Hub centres.
Redcar and Cleveland was one of 75 Local Authorities chosen in 2022 to receive Government funding to improve services.
Now the successful scheme will be extended to all areas of the country as the Secretary of State for Education recently announced the Government’s intention to “give every child the best start in life”. This will mean that Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council will receive further funding from April 2026.
Improvements from 2023 in the borough included refurbishing nine Family Hub buildings and both extending existing support services as well as creating new ones.
The focus has been on improving support for expectant parents, helping mothers experiencing low-mood after having a baby, encouraging children’s learning and development and improving breastfeeding rates.
Statistics show that the improvements have been a success. They reveal that:
- in April 2025 a total of 76% of babies and toddlers aged 0 to 3 were registered with Family Hubs – up from 62% in 2022
- 1,196 parents and children attended Baby Buddies playgroups for new parents last year – up from 294 in 2022
- three weekly Sensory Kidz groups pre-school children who may have neuro-diversity needs benefited 167 individuals last year – but did not exist prior to 2023
- a new ‘tongue-tie’ clinic established in January 2024 has helped 291 babies who previously would have had to travel to Newcastle after a six to eight week wait
- a special new ‘stay and play’ group for dads and their children has been used by 179 individuals.
Cllr Bill Suthers, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said:
“It’s been a tremendous success – but not just because there are more families using the Hubs and the services. It’s about the quality of those services too as well as working with partner agencies more effectively. We now have a greater range of brand-new evidence-based parenting programmes, services and activities provided by multi-agency teams working together. That has involved Family Hub officers working with health visitors, midwives and family support charities such as as Family Action and Leos.
“It’s not just about the funding, although that is, of course, crucial. We have such a tremendous, dedicated team who so often go the extra mile and their hard work and strategic thinking is really paying off. I am looking forward to seeing what else can be developed with our partners and parents from next year, in line with the recent Government announcements.”
For extra information about how to access your local Family Hub, please visit our website Family Hubs | Redcar and Cleveland or follow Redcar and Cleveland Family Hubs on Facebook at Redcar & Cleveland Family Hubs | Facebook
The Government has announced more funding for Family Hubs as part of a county-wide extension but the money has not yet been allocated to individual councils.
Government revives family services, supporting 500,000 more kids - GOV.UK