Everything You Need To Know About Best Start Family Hubs

In this blog, you will learn:

• What Best Start Family Hubs are and why they are being created.
• What services will be available at the hubs and the benefits.
• When and where family hubs will be available.
• How the hubs will support children with SEND.
• How to find and apply for the best SEND jobs.

Across the UK, families need timely, tailored support to thrive - from parenting advice and child development help, to reliable access to healthcare. Services are changing to meet this need. Best Start Family Hubs bring support together in local communities, making it easier for families to get help.

Backed by government investment, these hubs are designed to strengthen family wellbeing and reshape how services are delivered.

However, questions remain about what they’ll offer, how they’ll work in practice and when and where they’ll be available. In our latest blog, we're uncovering everything you need to know about Best Start Family Hubs.

What are Best Start Family Hubs?

Best Start Family Hubs are free, local hubs where families can access a range of services in one place. These hubs offer support to families with children from pregnancy to age 19, or up to 25 for those with SEND.

Best Start Family Hubs will combine face-to-face support, digital services and partnerships with health, education and community organisations. The aim of these hubs is to put support in one place to ensure every child or young person has opportunities for a great ‘Start for Life.’ They bring services together to strengthen connections among families, professionals and providers, making it easier to get help.

Family hubs are designed to be accessible to all families, including those with SEND, families from minority communities and those facing socio-economic disadvantage or social exclusion.

Best Start Family Hubs will replace Sure Start Children's Centres that launched in 1999 to provide services for families with children under 5. Like Sure Start, the new family hubs will offer health services, parenting support, early learning and childcare.

Why are Best Start Family Hubs being created?

Ensuring families can access help easily is crucial, especially for those with children who have additional needs. Early support can have a positive impact on a child's life as well as improve future health and academic outcomes.

Often services can feel disconnected and hard to navigate. Many children’s centres have closed or cut back on services, leaving some families unable to access help at all or forced to pay for private classes or specialist support.

Best Start Family Hubs provide early support for families through universal and targeted services. When needed, they also connect families with intensive help from a supporting families keyworker.

When and where will Best Start Family Hubs be available?

Hundreds of Best Start Family Hubs are now open across England, with more on the way. The initiative aims to have 1,000 hubs in place across England by 2028, meaning families in every council area will have access to a hub.

The government plans to invest £900 million in Best Start Family Hubs over the next 3 years, including £500 million to deliver hubs nationwide and £200 million to fund SEND practitioners in every hub.

Every hub will have outreach workers to help reach families who might not otherwise access support. Families can check their eligibility for childcare entitlements and connect to their local hub.

Best Start Family Hubs will connect up to 2,000 local services, including GP surgeries, leisure centres, libraries and nurseries. By using familiar public buildings and community spaces, families can access support locally and in places they already visit.

For those who can’t attend hubs in person, there is a Best Start digital service that provides quick access to trusted advice on parenting and child development. A significant proportion of family hub services will be delivered virtually and some will be delivered in families’ homes.

Existing family hubs or children’s centres will continue to operate and may be enhanced under the new programme. 

How will Best Start Family Hubs support children with SEND?

Best Start Family Hubs offer help and support for all children, especially those with SEND.

Every hub will have dedicated SEND practitioners helping families with children who have additional needs access support earlier. This will drive efficiency and prevent families from being passed between different services.

SEND practitioners will help identify children who may need extra support before starting school and connect parents with local early years settings and health services. These professionals will guide families through the system and train family support staff to recognise early signs that a child may need additional help. 

What services will be available at Best Start Family Hubs?

The services available at Best Start Family Hubs will vary but may include:

• Parenting advice, classes and courses to boost confidence and create a positive home learning environment.
• Free 'stay and play' sessions for babies and early years activities for young children to meet other families.
• Support to boost children's confidence, language and emotional development.
• Help with managing children's behaviour and emotional needs.
• Health services and welfare guidance.
• Infant feeding support, midwifery, health visiting and perinatal mental health support through Healthy Babies services.
• Debt support and help accessing financial support.
• Connections to other community services like housing and child specialists.

What are the benefits of Best Start Family Hubs?

There are many benefits to family hubs including improved accessibility and connectivity between professionals, services and providers, helping to deliver more joined-up support to families.

Hubs provide a universal, single point of access that families can easily recognise and understand. This helps improve efficiency and reduce fragmentation across services, including those for children aged 0-5.

Family hubs build on families’ strengths to address underlying issues, identify needs early and take a whole family-family approach to support. They also promote relationship-centred practice, focusing on building trust, strengthening networks and ensuring consistent support over time.

In addition, they offer evidence-based guidance, including practical ways to support learning at home and address barriers such as limited access to technology or quiet study spaces.

Local authority SEND recruitment specialists

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Looking for your next local authority SEND job? Either search the latest jobs or upload your CV and one of our consultants will be in touch when a suitable opportunity arises.