TAMESIDE Council has applied for almost £1 million of Government funding to set up new Family Hubs.
And if successful, that money could help make communities stronger and tackle some of the inequalities that exist across the area.
The authority has asked the Local Transformation Fund for £997,000 – £830,000 of which will go towards setting the foundations for hubs to operate.
That would last until 2024 but the council insists: “While there is no ongoing funding beyond March 2024, the programme is intended to join up existing functions and provision from across the Strategic Commission and allow the resulting savings and efficiencies to make any new developments self-sustaining and self-funding.
“Any residual or increased costs after this point would have to be found from other budgets and would require separate governance.”
Councillors sitting on Tameside’s Strategic Commissioning Board were told Doncaster, Cornwall and Isle of Wight have implemented the Family Hub model and seen reduced demand on high end, high cost services.
Doncaster’s Central hub offers things like domestic abuse services, GP outreach, health advice, health visitors, parenting support, special educational needs and disability (SEND) work and welfare and benefits advice.
They were also told hubs can also lead to better ways of working between families and agencies, as well as better access to help.
That could in turn improve outcomes around family relationships and stability, physical and mental health and wellbeing, education and training and employment.
Tameside aims to make Family Hubs open to all families in Tameside, which will not only include repurposing current buildings and boosting its work force in both numbers and skills but also creating a computer system strong enough to cope.
To secure the money, Tameside must commit to opening hubs by March 2024 and work closely with the Department for Education.
Council documents state: “Tameside has started a journey to build on the neighbourhood model where four neighbourhood areas have now been defined with partners and provides a strong foundation to develop and deliver the Family Hubs model.
“A successful application into the Fund will see the local programme of work regarding families and the neighbourhood model accelerate at scale and pace.”
It should hear if it has been successful by March.