More family hubs open in city to support teens

Mum Kelly Woolley says there is a real need for teenagers to be supported outside of a school setting

A mother-of-four has said she hopes new family hubs opening in Liverpool can be "safe places" for teenagers outside school, "with staff who can support them".

Hundreds of parents in the city have been welcomed to three new hubs designed to extend support for families beyond the early years.

The hubs will support families through teenage years and into adulthood, and are funded by the Department for Education.

Kelly Woolley said it would be "amazing" if they could mimic what is on offer for under fives, "which is great".

Hundreds of families attended welcome events in the children centres

The hubs are based in Liverpool City Council’s existing children’s centres, most of which opened under Sure Start – a programme introduced by the Labour government in 1998 as "one-stop shops" providing parents of children under five with support around health, education, childcare and employment.

In Liverpool, many centres were threatened with closure a decade ago, when council budgets were reduced by central government.

There was a parent-led campaign to save them.

Many Sure Start centres closed across the country but in Liverpool, the council restructured the service and continued to run it.

The council currently runs 23 children’s centres.

Ms Wooley said teenagers did not always want to talk about issues concerning growing up with their parents, joking: "One of my daughters is very adamant that I don’t know what I am talking about – she wants to go elsewhere for advice.”

“When I was a child, I went to youth clubs, so I hope hubs offer something like that – being able to come together with youths your own age outside of school,” she added.

Councillor Lila Bennett said the hubs reflect the communities they are rooted in

Speaking at a welcome event in Wavertree, Councillor Lila Bennett said : “I wish they’d been around when I had my children.

"Hubs offer more than children’s centres, and reflect the communities where they are situated.

"Where we are now it’s a multi-cultural area so there might be speech and language needs which are different to other parts of the city.”

The council said the total number of hubs in the city stands at five.

The authority has pledged to offer every family in the city access to an enhanced level of support by March 2025, securing 4 million pounds of central government funding to do so.

Family Hubs support families with children aged 0-19, or 25 if a young person has special educational needs or disabilities.

The council said adults would also benefit from the model, with help on offer including debt advice and domestic abuse support.

The government said family hubs were now open in 75 local authorities in England.