Croydon Council is set to strengthen family hubs across the borough, following positive feedback from parents and carers during a public consultation and through £6.2m of grant funding.
Nearly 300 residents responded to a consultation on proposals on the expansion of Croydon’s children’s centres into family hubs, to make more services available to more families. More than 80% of respondents supported the proposals with emphasis on the importance of protecting strong early years services and making sure that they are accessible to families across the borough.
A report will go to Cabinet on Wednesday (28 January) recommending that £6.2m of government funding is used to support the delivery and development of family hubs for a further three years, from April 2026 to March 2029. If approved, this would allow services to continue without any additional pressure on the Council’s general budget.
Family hubs bring together a wide range of support for families with children and young people aged up to 19, or up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities. They build on Croydon’s children’s centres 0-5 aged service and are designed to make it easier for families to access help, advice and services in one place.
The Cabinet report proposes three main family hubs supported by outreach hubs in former children’s centre buildings.
Two main family hubs are already open. Woodlands Family Hub in the south of the borough now welcomes more than 850 families each quarter. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Family Hub in the north offers the full range of family hub services and is used each week by a wide mix of council, health and voluntary sector organisations.
The Croydon complex could become the third main family hub for the central area of the borough, following suggestions made by residents during the consultation.
The proposals also include developing a network of local information hubs in places families already visit, such as libraries, schools, health settings and community venues.
The family hubs programme is delivered in partnership with local voluntary and community organisations and includes support with parenting, infant feeding, perinatal mental health, home learning and support for fathers, alongside digital services that families can access from home.
The Knights, a local family who have received help and support through Croydon Family Hubs, said: “We moved to Croydon due to a very unsettled, unstable situation we found ourselves in whilst living in another borough. Croydon Family Hubs team have supported us throughout this last year and the help and support we received was above and beyond words or our expectations. We were constantly reassured and was never rushed, and no stone was left unturned in the support to help us move forward as a family.”
“Family Hubs are about making life easier for parents and carers by bringing the right support together in welcoming local spaces. The feedback we received from residents and families in Croydon has been clear, and these proposals would allow us to build on what is already working well across the borough. If approved, this funding would help us continue supporting families across Croydon, from pregnancy through to the teenage years, without adding pressure to Council finances.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
