Croydon families will soon have more support, with a “Family Hub” opening at the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre in South Norwood.
Council services in action: the South Norwood family hub is funded by the government
The council said: “The opening of this hub marks another milestone in the council’s commitment to making sure Croydon’s families have access to the services they need, when they need them, in one convenient place.”
It turns out that the family hub is an initiative funded by the government, administered by Croydon.
Croydon is one of 75 local authorities awarded funding from the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to roll out family hubs.
Family hubs are intended to bring together a range of support for parents, carers, children and young people up to the age of 19, or 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. They offer advice on everything from infant feeding and early development, to mental health and employment support, all under one roof, “to strengthen family support by improving access, making services easier to navigate and building strong relationships between families and professionals”, the council said.
South Norwood is Croydon’s second family hub, in addition to Woodlands Family Hub in Selsdon. These two centres – in a borough that stretches from Crystal Palace to Coulsdon – the council says create “a network of local, accessible services for families”.
Woodlands focuses on supporting younger children and their families, while the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Family Hub will have a greater emphasis on services for older children and young adults. “Working in partnership with schools, health services, and community organisations, the hub will provide a seamless support system for families, making sure no one misses out on the help they need,” the council’s announcement said.
The council is to stage some form of consultation shortly, to justify a change of service provision in the north and centre of the borough which the council promises “will ensure a more joined-up approach”.
The council said: “All services currently delivered through children’s centres will continue as usual during the transition to the new family hub model, and families can be reassured that the support they currently receive will continue without interruption.
“This means families will continue to see the same familiar staff and access the same trusted support they rely on. This will give families continuity and service providers time to adapt to the new way of working.
“There will also be a public consultation later this year when the council will ask residents for their views on transforming children’s centres into family hubs.”
The government grant for the family hubs only extends until March 2026, although the council says it is seeking funding channels “to develop a sustainable model that will keep these vital services running for years to come”.
The council said: “The opening of the new family hub is an important step that will make a real difference to families with children of all ages across Croydon, now and in the future.”
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I am very happy for the families of SouthNorwood but in essence it seems to me that Family Hubs are a less well funded SureStart with some of the core components missing but with a broader age remit. George Osborne closed 1000 centres, including Broad Green, which were replaced by Family hubs in only 75 Local Authorities.
where is the support for the south and centre of the borough?
Selsdon is in the south.