Agenda item

To consider a report on developing Family Hubs.

5.1       Melissa Caslake (Tri-Borough Children’s Services) presented the report and advised that the proposed Family Hubs would provide a virtual network of providers working with children 0 – 19 years with the aim to provide a more streamlined and effective service. The proposed key outcomes included reducing referrals to higher level interventions, preventing family breakdowns that result in children and young people being received into care or entering the criminal justice system, promoting strong and resilient parents and improving outcomes for children and young people across health and wellbeing indicators. Training would be offered to frontline staff to facilitate this. Melissa Caslake then referred to the core offer to achieve these outcomes in the report through integrating Children’s Services, Public Health and CCG activity. This included a one-stop access for universal services, such as birth registrations, to reinforce the hub as the place to go, and providing housing advice to tackle this issue early.

5.2       Melissa Caslake advised that a considerable amount of hard work lay ahead in delivering the family hubs, however a shared vision and shared values, and working more collaboratively and effectively together, would help achieve the desired outcomes. She then requested the Board’s support and endorsement of the Family Hubs Programme.

5.3       Members came forward in welcoming the report and made a number of further comments. It was asked whether the programme would involve developing peer pathway support. Members welcomed the programme’s focus on prevention, however lessons needed to be learnt from Sure Start and there were also issues about how to get GPs more involved. It was commented that Community Care for Children Programme had not been mentioned in the report and it was suggested that the Family Hubs Programme should join up its work with this programme. A Member welcomed the housing advice initiative in the programme and stated that around 30% of homeless had separated from their families. She asked whether it was possible to place workers within GP practices to help patients access the Family Hubs Programme and emphasised the importance of organisations and departments in sharing information and taking a joined-up approach. Another Member suggested that GP registrars could also be involved to help improve sign posting to the Family Hubs Programme.

5.4       A Member suggested that the programme offered the opportunity to consider issues such as vulnerable families. She stated that a recent survey of 100 families undertaken by her organisation had identified that their key concerns were welfare dependency, fear of moving and wishing to receive financial advice. Another Member felt that consideration should be given as to what the public perception would be of describing the programme as a virtual network of providers and he suggested that an alternative way of describing the programme be considered. He added that registered social landlords and housing associations would be keen to be engaged with the programme as they encountered such issues the programme sought to address on a daily basis.

5.5       The Chairman expressed her support for the programme and its focus on providing integrated, joined-up services and in reaching out to children in need at an earlier age. She concurred that the programme should work jointly with the Connecting Care for Children Programme.

5.6       In reply to some of the issues raised, Melissa Caslake also agreed that the programme should work jointly with the Connecting Care for Children Programme and that more work was needed in involving GPs in the programme. She welcomed any further suggestions from the Board and added that there were also other programmes providing an early help offer.

5.7       The Chairman advised that an update on the programme would be provided at a future meeting. The Board endorsed the report.