Government announces £20m boost to support vulnerable families in England

Vulnerable families across England are to receive more early support as the government announces a £20 million cash boost.

The funding will be used to help councils set up more family hubs across the country to offer better access to early education, health and care services, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

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Support for vulnerable and low income families

The DfE has said the investment will enable the network of family hubs to extend to up to 10 new areas, benefiting thousands more vulnerable or low income families.

Part of the funding will also be put towards improving how information is shared between professionals working with families in these hubs.

The hubs provide families in England with a central place to access a range of services.

These include early education, mental health support, parenting classes and the chance to meet with health visitors.

The government set up the hubs in order to ensure parents and carers have access to support, while children can benefit from health and education services from a young age.

Children and Families Minister, Vicky Ford, said: “It is absolutely vital that all families across England have access to the same high quality services in their local communities, no matter where they live.

“Services like these which offer early help and intervention can make a huge difference for parents and carers, levelling up opportunities for every child to fulfil their potential.

“That is why we are championing Family Hubs, and this additional £20 million investment will drive forward this programme, helping to grow and expand hubs across the country so that even more parents and children can access the early health and education services we know can have a lifelong positive impact.”

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