WORCESTER MP Tom Collins is chairing a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Family Hubs, writes Tayla O’Hara.
The first meeting brought together local government experts, policy-makers and charities, including partners at Spurgeons Children’s Charity.
The sessions are aimed at ensuring the hubs fulfill their potential by making it easier for families to access the essential support they need – from early years services and parenting advice, to mental health help, relationship support and housing guidance, all under one roof.
During the session, those at the centre of family hubs, including local leaders, charities and other organisations, spoke about the benefits and shared stories about the hubs. These were not just anecdotes—they represented real outcomes which would shape future policy decisions.
APPGs bring Parliamentarians, regardless of party, together with experts and campaigners from a wide range of sectors to discuss and find solutions for articular topics or issues.
Mr Collins said: “I am incredibly excited about the potential of this group.
“The Government has major ambitions to support families, to break down the barriers to opportunity and to see health and other services delivered in the community.
“As one person described it to me, we have been working on crisis intervention, not early intervention.
“This is our chance to turn that around.”
He added he really missed SureStart, which was introduced in 1998, providing children’s centres and other services to support families with children under five. These included health services, parenting support, early learning, childcare and parental employment support.
Mr Collins said this latest group had the chance to build back something even stronger, owned by communities and ‘done with us, not to us’.
After the main meeting, the group planned the real actions it would take.
“It’s an exciting time, because with previous governments we had to explain what was needed and why. Our new government understands all that, so we can move on to asking how.
“How we can deliver this change quickly and in a way that really brings people together and puts power and opportunity back in their hands.
“I want every family to be well-supported, plugged-in and enabled to overcome the challenges of life and truly thrive.”
