Family Hubs Bring Little Moments Together

Tameside’s family hubs have been providing free help and support for a range of vital services, acting as a ‘one stop shop’ for parents and children. Our teams of skilled professionals can provide practical help including early language and communication development, mental health support for parents and carers, and programmes for improving children’s home learning environment.

As one of 75 areas across the country with family hubs, Tameside are pleased to be part of the government’s new national Start for Life Little Moments Together campaign, providing free resources and advice to help parents make the most of every moment - even waiting for a bus or shopping together - to further their child’s development.   

The Best Start for Life services are for families with children aged 0-19 years, and 0-25 years for children with SEND.

This means that parents will have access to early years professionals within the family hubs who can offer home learning advice and support, helping to improve their children's language and communication skills and increase levels of school readiness.

Tameside Council Deputy Executive Leader, Councillor Bill Fairfoull, said: “Since the beginning of our family hubs journey, we have been mindful that inclusivity must be central to our services, so it is fantastic to see the support available for local families from the home and surrounding areas. Learning and development comes from interactions in a variety of settings, and parents and carers are hugely inspirational to children, so we want to equip them with any resources that can help.”

New findings have revealed that 83% of parents are unaware that their child’s brain is 90% grown by the age of five, shedding light on a critical gap in parents’ understanding of the impact they can have in these crucial early years.

The research uncovered that parents prioritise activities like reading bedtime stories (65%) and playing with toys (61%) for their child's language and communication skills. Yet, everyday moments are often overlooked, which is why the campaign focuses on the importance of day-to-day activities such as the daily routine around the house, which is explained in this short video.

Tameside’s four main family hubs are:

• North Family Hub (Ashton) Trafalgar Square, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 0LL - 0161 342 2255
• East Family Hub (Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley) School Crescent, Ridge Hill, Stalybridge, SK15 1EA - 0161 342 5533
• South Family Hub (Hyde, Hattersley and Longdendale) Old Road, Flowery Field, Hyde, SK14 4SQ - 0161 342 5353
• West Family Hub (Denton, Droylsden and Audenshaw) Greenside Lane, Droylsden, M43 7RA - 0161 342 5197

More information about Tameside’s family hubs can be found online.