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Half of parents with children aged five and under are unsure what support is available to them locally, according to new research published by the NSPCC, prompting calls for greater investment in awareness and integration of Family Hubs across England.
A YouGov poll commissioned by the charity found that while 66% of parents with young children had heard of Family Hubs, fewer than one in six (16%) had used the services. The findings have raised concerns that many families may be struggling to access support available in their communities.
Family Hubs are designed to provide a range of services for children, young people and families in a single location, including health services, parenting support and housing and financial advice.
The findings are published alongside a new NSPCC report, It Takes a Place: Multi-Agency Safeguarding in Family Hubs, which examines how safeguarding functions within the hubs. Drawing on practitioner interviews, case reviews and national polling, the report concludes that Family Hubs can play an important role in both supporting families and strengthening child safeguarding arrangements.
However, the charity said the effectiveness of the model is being limited by barriers including difficulties sharing information between professionals and inconsistencies in the thresholds families must meet to access support.
With the government continuing the national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, the NSPCC said there is an opportunity to strengthen the model and improve access to early intervention services.
The charity is calling on ministers to improve public awareness of Family Hubs at both national and local level, clarify how hubs interact with wider safeguarding services, strengthen links with children's social care and introduce a mandatory, joined-up safeguarding framework for professionals working within the hubs.
Alexandra Galvin, senior policy research officer at the NSPCC and author of the report, said many parents continue to find local support services difficult to navigate.
She said Family Hubs have the potential to become places where children and families receive both effective support and safeguarding, but that achieving this will require greater community engagement and improved collaboration between agencies.
The NSPCC argues that embedding Family Hubs more firmly within local communities and ensuring professionals can work together effectively would help identify needs earlier, improve responses to emerging concerns and provide better support for children and families.
