Family Hubs (0-5 Children Centre services) User Survey

There are 29 Family Hub buildings in Suffolk and 48 areas in total, where Health and Children Centre Teams deliver activities to children aged 0-5 and their families. 

A Family Hub is somewhere families, parents, carers, and young people can get support. Support can include providing information, advice and guidance on subjects and issues affecting children and families, including: 

Not all services are provided at all locations

·         Ante-natal and midwifery services 

·         Health visiting and infant feeding services 

·         Children's health and development 

·         Parenting advice and courses 

·         Special education needs and disability 

·         Finances (money, housing and benefits) 

·         Youth support and clubs 

·         Young people and parent's emotional well-being 

·         Domestic abuse / violence support  

·         Family learning 

Our Family Hub model includes: 

· Buildings - these are local support centres for all families, young people, parents and carers to access. They are a place to  get help, information, advice, guidance and support that might otherwise be hard to find. 

· Outreach - Family Hubs deliver health and family support services in the community, bringing services to families in their community. 

· Services and Support - which all families can access. Staff working in our Family Hubs work hard to ensure families receive the right support, at the right time, to          help them thrive. 

· A place to meet other professionals and practitioners. Staff working in our Family Hubs work in partnership with families and other community providers to ensure        the right services are available for families to access.

Some of the common groups facilitated by the 0-5 Health and Children Centre teams include:

Early Days Group

Post Natal Group targeting first time parents or those with a big gap between births to support maternal and neonatal health and wellbeing, healthy behaviours, life-skills education, supporting breastfeeding and good mental health.

Stay and Play and Under 1’s Stay & Play

Sessions that inspire and encourage children to play. It provides learning opportunities within the Early Years Foundation Stage that will support and encourage parents/carers to engage in their child’s learning, see the value in the role they play as their child’s first educator and support transitions into nursery and /or school.

Little Stars

A support group for parents/carers primarily with children aged 0-5 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The children may have a variety of additional support needs, including developmental delay, disability, communication difficulties and social/emotional needs.

Infant Massage Group

Infant massage course offering parents/carers special time with their baby to support early attachment and communication so that they feel loved, valued, and respected.

Infant Feeding Support Group

Providing advice and guidance with breastfeeding, and support with infant feeding difficulties such as with 'tongue-tie.' Individual support with breast or formula feeding is also available. 

Introducing Solids Workshop

Designed to give parents/carers access to non-judgemental, evidence-based information, advice, and guidance around introducing solids to help establish a lifetime of healthy eating.

As part of our continued drive to ensure children's services meet the needs of the Suffolk population, we are looking at how Family Hubs support the needs of children and families in Suffolk. You can help by sharing your views on the current service, so we understand what is important to you.

All responses are anonymous. Please do not include any identifiable information within your answers.