West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed Dorset being chosen as one of seven local authorities for a share in a £12million fund to innovate the provision of family services and care needs.
Mr Loder said; “I have been continually making the case for Dorset to receive its fair share under the Government’s levelling up agenda. I am pleased to see the Government recognising the need in West Dorset to level up and improve the state of social services for those who need them here”.
Family hubs are a way of joining up locally and bringing existing family help services together to improve access to services, connections between families, professionals, services, and providers, and putting relationships at the heart of family help. Family hubs bring together services for families with children of all ages (0-19) or up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with a great Start for Life offer at their core. They can include hub buildings and virtual offers.
How services are delivered varies from place to place, but the following principles are key to the family hub model:
• More accessible – through clearly branded and communicated hub buildings, virtual offers and outreach.
• Better connected – family hubs drive progress on joining up professionals, services and providers (state, private, voluntary) – through co-location, data sharing, shared outcomes and governance. Moving from services organised for under-fives, to families with children of all ages, reduces fragmentation (even though an emphasis on early years and the ‘Start for Life’ offer will remain).
• Relationship-centred – practice in a family hub builds on family strengths and looks to improve family relationships to address underlying issues.
