Funding Received for Tameside's Family Hubs

An expansion in the variety of sessions at Tameside’s family hubs has seen children and parents reaping the benefits, with the number of free activities and support groups offered almost doubling in the last year to 21 different types.

With main locations in Ashton, Droylsden, Stalybridge and Hyde, Tameside’s family hubs are in line to receive a further 12 months of grant funding from the Department for Education, having gone from strength to strength with a 650% increase in unique service users from 2023 to 2024.

The hubs bring together provisions from the local authority and its partners which has improved access to early years’ services, parenting, education, financial and mental health support for families with children.

Sessions include Baby Babble to develop speech and language skills and Little Explorers to learn through play, with activities available five days a week for a range of ages, as well as groups offering breastfeeding and neonatal support.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Teresa Smith, said: “It’s wonderful to see the difference that the free support at Tameside’s family hubs can provide for our local families. We acknowledge the national policy and importance of the vision associated with the first 1,001 critical days of a child’s life, so providing the support network available at our family hubs to all of our parents, carers and young people is vital.

“The Best Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme widely supports all objectives of Tameside Council’s Corporate Plan 2024-2027, and I’m delighted we can continue to deliver on these necessary services.”

Family hubs bring together local family services by putting relationships at the centre and cater to children and young people from 0-19 years-old, and up to 25 years-old for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They aim to provide every child with the best start in life and to offer the right support, at the right time.

To find out more about Tameside’s family hubs and to locate the venue nearest to you, visit https://www.tameside.gov.uk/FamilyHubs