Proposed locations of new children's centres revealed
Its part of a multimillion-pound family support plan
The proposed locations of new Oxfordshire children’s centres have been revealed amid a multimillion-pound family support plan.
Five new ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ are set to be created with the county council allocated over £5.5M in Department for Education funding following the 2025 relaunch of the New Labour government’s flagship children’s policy, Sure Start, renamed as Best Start.
The new hubs are set to provide parenting advice, stay-and-play activities, help with children’s learning and development at home, alongside preventative and universal health services – especially for babies and their families – and early support for children with additional needs.
The first planned Oxfordshire locations are:
Wantage / Grove area
Didcot area
Banbury area
Witney area
Blackbird Leys in Cuddesdon Corner, which is already operational as a family centre.
County council plans say they will offer “holistic support tailored to the needs of the local communities and families and will ensure they are connected into the wider community offer, including, but not limited to, welfare advice, debt advice, early help, and help for those at risk of, or experiencing, domestic abuse”.
The locations shared now are the “primary hubs” – at a scrutiny committee, it was explained that pop-up centres could be used to reach out into the wider community in future.
The proposals, which have been in the works since 2025, are set to be put to the vote in a county cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 14.