The borough is amongst the 75 councils to receive funding, and they have seized the opportunity to reshape and enhance community services. Currently, two family hubs are operational, with two more planned by March 2025.
Family hubs represent a step forward in addressing the challenges faced by many families, through bringing together a range services in a ‘one stop shop’ to enhance their accessibility. They provide a single place to go for face-to-face support, advice, and information.
Each hub offers support from a combination of services and disciplines, including children’s services and social work:
Social workers lead child protection efforts within the hubs, coordinating with various agencies to ensure a seamless and comprehensive response to any safeguarding concerns. Their understanding of local communities and their ability to build trust with families are invaluable in creating safe and supportive environments for children.
Each family hub enhances the collaboration between social worker and other agencies, including health visitors, schools, mental health teams, and other practitioners. This integrated approach ensures that families receive holistic support tailored to their specific needs, whether it's mental health support for young people, bespoke services for fathers, or wider parenting assistance.
Beyond their professional duties, social workers play a crucial role in fostering a sense of community within the hubs. They help families build networks, engage in peer services, and create an inclusive and supportive environment. This community-centric approach not only addresses immediate needs but also empowers families to develop resilience and long-term stability.
Ann Graham, Director of Children's Services at Haringey Council, highlighted the importance of collaboration in developing the borough’s family hubs:
“Collaboration between families, professionals, and partners has been essential at every step and should be integral from the outset when developing any new model. We spoke to young people, parents and carers, and partners from education, health and social care to help us understand their vision of what the ideal family hub should look like.” Ann Graham, Haringey Council
“Collaboration between families, professionals, and partners has been essential at every step and should be integral from the outset when developing any new model. We spoke to young people, parents and carers, and partners from education, health and social care to help us understand their vision of what the ideal family hub should look like.”
Ann Graham, Haringey Council
Haringey’s family hubs are already making a significant impact on the lives of families. The Triangle Centre Family Hub in Tottenham, serving residents in one of the most deprived areas of the borough, and the newly opened Muswell Hill Centre in the west, offer services tailored to the local community's needs. This ensures that support is relevant and effective, addressing specific social challenges.
The strategic locations of the hubs, combined with Haringey’s innovative Digital Front Door online service, means support is more accessible than ever and caters to diverse needs and preferences.
By providing early and targeted help, the Family Hubs aim to facilitate early intervention, reducing the burden on statutory services, including social work. This proactive approach is essential in creating a sustainable and effective support system for the community.
As Haringey continues to expand its Family Hubs network, the council is committed to ongoing collaboration – in which social workers will play a key role. Success will be measured, and any future enhancements made to ensure that the hubs remain responsive to the evolving needs of the community.
"We are in the process of devising key performance indicators to demonstrate the impact of our family hub services. Sustainability is key and with that in mind we are working with partners to further develop a wider localities model, which pulls together services and buildings across the borough with a focus on co-location, integration and multi-disciplinary working. Success for us will be determined by increased numbers of families accessing support, and we hope the model will ensure more families benefit from targeted early help. " Ann Graham, Haringey Council
"We are in the process of devising key performance indicators to demonstrate the impact of our family hub services. Sustainability is key and with that in mind we are working with partners to further develop a wider localities model, which pulls together services and buildings across the borough with a focus on co-location, integration and multi-disciplinary working. Success for us will be determined by increased numbers of families accessing support, and we hope the model will ensure more families benefit from targeted early help. "
If you’d like to practice in Haringey, joining their innovative and collaborative environment, view their current social work roles here.