Council gets share of £270m uplift funding to support families
Help and support for parents and carers of young children in Gateshead is to be boosted following a multi-million-pound funding announcement for local councils.
The government has confirmed plans to allocate an extra £270 million to fund local authority early help and family support services in 2025/26, as part of a new Children's Social Care Prevention Grant.
The funding, of which just over £1.29 million has been preliminarily allocated to Gateshead Council, is a one-off grant to invest in the national rollout of "family help", prevention services and child protection reforms.
The council is expected to receive the funding through its family hubs and Start For Life programme. The funding will mean the family hubs can continue to deliver an excellent service locally, say council leaders.
It will also be used to implement family-group decision-making measures, as outlined in the government's recent children's social care white paper Keeping Families Safe, Helping Children Thrive.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of last week's "good" Ofsted rating for Gateshead's children's services.
Councillor Gary Haley, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Gateshead Council, said:
"A priority of this council is to give every child the best start in life, and we welcome this funding, which will help us in achieving this ambition.
"Children's early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. That is why we have worked hard to establish our family hubs across the borough, so parents and families have access to the services which are vital in guiding parents and supporting child development. Every parent should be able to access such services on their doorstep and I am pleased with the progress we are making here in Gateshead to ensure this is the case. Our commitment to Gateshead's children and young people can be evidenced through the work we have done to date, which has also been recognised with our Ofsted good rating."
Through the community-based family hubs, families and children in Gateshead can access early years help such as pregnancy support, infant feeding advice, parenting classes and other support to give their child the best start in life.
They can also attend antenatal classes, see health visitors, join baby and toddler groups and get access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare. All of this improves long term outcomes for children.
Gateshead MP Mark Ferguson added:
"Setting every child up for the best start in life is a top priority for this government. All the evidence shows that the building blocks for life are laid in a child's first two years. Those building blocks are crucial to their development, health and life chances.
"This government is investing in Gateshead's children, with additional funding for antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare.
"Gateshead's successful network of family hubs is already making a huge difference, and this fresh investment from the government will further break down the barriers to opportunity for Gateshead's children."
Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, added:
"This crucial investment provides a strong foundation to deliver our commitment to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, by giving parents the support they need to ensure their baby has the best start in life.
"The first two years of a child's life lay the building blocks for their physical and emotional wellbeing into adulthood. That's why we are investing in early years, as part of our Plan for Change, to improve access to services in deprived areas to ensure no-one is left behind."
Help and support for parents and carers of young children in Gateshead is to be boosted following a multi-million-pound funding announcement for local councils.
The government has confirmed plans to allocate an extra £270 million to fund local authority early help and family support services in 2025/26, as part of a new Children's Social Care Prevention Grant.
The funding, of which just over £1.29 million has been preliminarily allocated to Gateshead Council, is a one-off grant to invest in the national rollout of "family help", prevention services and child protection reforms.
The council is expected to receive the funding through its family hubs and Start For Life programme. The funding will mean the family hubs can continue to deliver an excellent service locally, say council leaders.
It will also be used to implement family-group decision-making measures, as outlined in the government's recent children's social care white paper Keeping Families Safe, Helping Children Thrive.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of last week's "good" Ofsted rating for Gateshead's children's services.
Councillor Gary Haley, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Gateshead Council, said:
"A priority of this council is to give every child the best start in life, and we welcome this funding, which will help us in achieving this ambition.
"Children's early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. That is why we have worked hard to establish our family hubs across the borough, so parents and families have access to the services which are vital in guiding parents and supporting child development. Every parent should be able to access such services on their doorstep and I am pleased with the progress we are making here in Gateshead to ensure this is the case. Our commitment to Gateshead's children and young people can be evidenced through the work we have done to date, which has also been recognised with our Ofsted good rating."
Through the community-based family hubs, families and children in Gateshead can access early years help such as pregnancy support, infant feeding advice, parenting classes and other support to give their child the best start in life.
They can also attend antenatal classes, see health visitors, join baby and toddler groups and get access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare. All of this improves long term outcomes for children.
Gateshead MP Mark Ferguson added:
"Setting every child up for the best start in life is a top priority for this government. All the evidence shows that the building blocks for life are laid in a child's first two years. Those building blocks are crucial to their development, health and life chances.
"This government is investing in Gateshead's children, with additional funding for antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare.
"Gateshead's successful network of family hubs is already making a huge difference, and this fresh investment from the government will further break down the barriers to opportunity for Gateshead's children."
Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, added:
"This crucial investment provides a strong foundation to deliver our commitment to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, by giving parents the support they need to ensure their baby has the best start in life.
"The first two years of a child's life lay the building blocks for their physical and emotional wellbeing into adulthood. That's why we are investing in early years, as part of our Plan for Change, to improve access to services in deprived areas to ensure no-one is left behind."
