Calderdale's first 'family hub' will open in Halifax in September

Calderdale Council is one of 75 local authorities chosen by the Government to pilot centres aimed at getting the right help and services to families which need them.

More hubs are expected to be opened in other parts of the borough over the next three years.

Calderdale council’s Director of Public Health, Debs Harkins, told a meeting of the council’s scrutiny board the first will be at Jubilee Children’s Centre on Lightowler Close.

It has been chosen because it is in an area of greatest need, councillors heard, but any family can access services at any of the hub bases.

Others are expected to be established in North Halifax, the Lower Calder Valley, Upper Calder Valley and the Ryburn Valley.

The council will get £3.25 million of funding over the three-year life of the project up to 2025.

There will also be “spokes” – satellite support – and digital access to help and advice is expected to be an integral part of the offer, said Ms Harkins.

The hub will build on existing services but streamline and simplify their approach, with a single point of access making it easier to access help and services.

Ms Harkins said not all of the networks will be the same – the idea is that as families’ priorities might be different in each of the areas, in what they offer and way they operate.

Councillor Danielle Durrans (Lab, Ovenden) liked the person-centred approach and was assured there would be flexibility for people to use whichever place best met their needs.

It was not “postcode based” and centres would not necessarily be council-owned buildings either, said Ms Harkins.

Councillor Brenda Monteith (Con, Brighouse) warned the first centre could be inundated if the other bases did not open up quickly enough.

Ms Harkins said by the end of 2025, a full family hub model should be in place and the council was looking to ensure it was sustainable.

Chair Coun Amanda Parsons-Hulse (Lib Dem, Warley) suggested the Orangebox youth centre in Halifax town centre might be an appropriate for teenagers and young adults.