Family Hubs Explained
Built on the old Sure Start centres, family hubs gather health, parenting and practical help under one roof for families from pregnancy onwards.
By the Ledger desk2 min read
Photo: Philafrenzy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Family hubs are a free, local "front door" to support for families, from pregnancy through childhood. In Newham, the council's Best Start Family Hubs bring health visitors, baby groups, parenting help and advice on money and housing together in one place, and they are open to every Newham family.
From Sure Start to Family Hubs
Family hubs are a modern evolution of the Sure Start programme, launched in 1998 in the most deprived areas and later turned into council-run children's centres open to all families, with a legal footing from 2009. In 2022 the government's Family Hubs and Start for Life programme began funding hubs in 75 council areas with high levels of deprivation. Under the national Best Start in Life programme, every council area in England was due to have at least one Best Start Family Hub from April 2026, backed by smaller network sites that run hub services on a regular basis.
GOV.UK describes a family hub as a single place to get support for children, young people and families, from baby groups and parent classes to counselling and financial advice.
What Newham's Hubs Offer
Newham's hubs support families from pregnancy up to age 18, or 25 for young people with additional needs, with a strong focus on the early years. They work with health visitors, children's services, mental health teams, housing and voluntary groups, so one visit can lead to joined-up help. Services typically include:
- Health: antenatal and maternity support, health visitor clinics and perinatal mental health support
- Early years: parent and baby groups, stay-and-play sessions, parenting programmes and infant feeding support covering breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and weaning
- Practical help: money and benefits advice, housing and homelessness support, and help getting into work or training
- Family wellbeing: mental health support, and help with domestic abuse or alcohol and drugs
- Children and young people: youth activities and the Holiday Activities and Food programme
Activities and services are free and open to all Newham families, though some, such as health visitor appointments, are booked in advance.
Where to Find Them
Newham has four main hubs, with sessions also run at children's centres, libraries and community venues across the borough:
- Family Hub @ East Ham Library: 328 Barking Road, E6 2RT
- Family Hub @ Shipman Youth Zone: 340 Prince Regent Lane, E16 3JH
- Family Hub @ Manor Park Children's Centre: Sheringham Avenue, E12 5PB
- United West Family Hub, which operates across the Rebecca Cheetham and Kay Rowe children's centres
Session times change each term, so check the council's family hub pages at newham.gov.uk or the Newham Families directory before visiting. Families outside Newham can use the postcode search on GOV.UK's "Find a family hub in your local area" page.
General information, checked against the sources below at the time of writing. Rules, rates and deadlines change, often each April; confirm with GOV.UK, the council or the organisation concerned before you rely on them. For advice on your own case, Citizens Advice is free.
