Council to create Best Start Family Hub in Swindon after government grant
Swindon Borough Council has been given £145,500 from the government to work on its own family hub
Swindon can soon start to develop its own Best Start Family Hub after a grant to the council from government.
Swindon Borough Council has been granted £145,500 by the Department for Education so it can start work on its own hub after the government announced the new plan for families with very young children in the summer.
And it should mean that the new hub can be up and running by April 2026.
The government said: “Best Start Family Hubs will be local hubs where families can access a range of services all in one place. Think of them as a ‘one-stop shop’ for families with children from pregnancy through the early years and beyond.
“Whether it’s free classes, events and activities, help with your children before they start school or finance and housing advice – the hubs will either provide these services directly or connect you to the right local support.”
The grant to Swindon council, according to the government, will help it identify sites, recruit staff and prepare to deliver help and support to families on everything from play and communication to healthy eating and school readiness, from April next year.
In total £1.6m has been granted to 190 councils in the South West for each one to be able to create its own family Hub. Wiltshire Council will receive £194,600, Gloucestershire £221,000 and Bath & North East Somerset Council £135,000.
The council’s cabinet member for children Councillor Paul Dixon said: “I’m so pleased that Labour is bringing back family services to Swindon, helping to give local children the best start in life.
“This is the difference a Labour councillor working with a Labour government can make for children and families in our area.
“This £145,539 investment to open a local Best Start family hub will be transformative – alongside free breakfast clubs and government-funded childcare, we are delivering on our Plan for Change and renewing Britain.”
The Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson said: ” The path to opportunity for every child begins in the early years, and ensuring children are ready to learn and thrive when they start school is vital – yet new parents face an overwhelming amount of conflicting online information.
“That’s why we’re cutting through the noise with our new nationwide campaign, giving parents an evidence-backed alternative to the barrage of unchecked and sometimes unreliable advice.
“Through our Best Start website, Family Hubs or funded childcare, our Plan for Change is making support from trusted professionals available wherever parents turn – giving every child the best possible start in life.”
The borough council has been increasing the support it puts into services for children and families, particularly after getting an Ofsted rating of “Inadequate” for its children’s services in 2023.
A new Early Years Centre – a specialist nursery for pre-school children with additional needs or disabilities was officially opened at the old Everleigh Nursery in Penhill last week – doubling the capacity in Swindon for children with such needs.