Hillingdon council: transforming local services through family hubs in Hillingdon

• Ensuring more cohesive delivery of services: Providing a wider range of learning and development services for children aged 0-19 (and up to 25 for those with special educational needs) and their families in the communities to make it easier for residents to access support.
• Maximising the use of the council’s estate: Supporting children and young people to thrive and live active and independent lives, while delivering value for money for council taxpayers.
• Creating multi-purpose spaces: Catering for all age groups and needs in a caring and nurturing environment, while maintaining high-quality services.

Despite not receiving central government family hub funding, Hillingdon Council recognised a need for reform to their services and the value that developing an all-age family hub model could have, and there are now two up and running in the borough. The work has been pioneered across the health, public health and youth service teams. By repurposing existing buildings and developing a blueprint for the services, the team have been able to consider how to make the most of existing services and spaces.

• Creation of family hubs: Developed by repurposing existing buildings to accommodate multiple services under one roof.
• Flexible, multi-use spaces: Each hub includes core services like health visiting, midwifery, and youth support, alongside flexible offerings tailored to community needs; such as stay-and-play, peer mentoring, and kitchen-based activities.
• Networked model: Services extend beyond physical buildings, with outreach work in libraries, toddler groups, parks and detached youth provision to reach children and young people where they are.
• Collaborative culture: Staff were supported through the transition, with a focus on shared ownership, relational working and recognising the benefits of integration.
• Cross-sector partnerships: Agreements with health services, public health funding and voluntary sector involvement ensured a holistic support system.

The team have engaged with the community and with partners to understand what is wanted in each locality. The focus has been on the buildings being a central place for service delivery, but ensuring that services are not limited by the building itself.

Working under a ‘families’ partnership has meant exploring different ways of engaging with families, recognising they have children of all-ages who require support that is flexible to this.

• Increased service access: Gaps between services for young children and older children were bridged, supported by services using different ways of working, for example services led by the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
• Community-driven development: The hubs are evolving based on community feedback from families, children and young people.
• Efficient use of space: The use of public buildings increased, maximising local assets without requiring significant new infrastructure.

• Collaboration: Bringing the right people to the table early on ensures a shared vision and smoother implementation. Focusing on winning the hearts and minds of staff to engage in working in a different way was also integral.
• Staying flexible: Communities look for something different and the hubs will have varying offers. A joint effort is necessary for the willingness to test, learn, and adapt (e.g. staff listening and swapping a less popular hub club for sessions that are more focused with structured cooking/ gardening sessions).
• Prioritising relationships: Keeping children, young people and families at the heart of decision-making.
• Thinking beyond buildings: Service delivery shouldn’t be constrained by walls - outreach and mobile models can help fill gaps and extend reach.

Laura Laryea, Service Manager- Family Hub's and Children's Centres, Hillingdon Council - [email protected]