Why it matters: The one-stop shop approach is designed to make it easier for families to access support, particularly for children with additional needs who may require help from multiple services.
The details: Best Start Family Hubs will act as a one-stop shop for parents seeking a range of support, including difficulties with breastfeeding, housing issues, children's early development and language.
Services will vary depending on local needs but can include stay and play sessions, parenting advice and courses, support with children's language and emotional development, health services and advice, help with managing children's behaviour and emotional needs, and guidance on creating a positive home learning environment.
Each hub will have a trained professional to help families with children who have additional needs navigate services and connect with local early years settings and health services.
What they're saying: Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich, said: "I'm incredibly proud that years of campaigning to protect and rebuild family services in Suffolk have finally paid off. After a decade in which brutal Conservative cuts closed so many children's centres and left thousands of families without vital support, our Labour Government's new investment to open Best Start Family Hubs represents a watershed moment for our county."
What's not clear: It is understood the funding will enable one new hub. Suffolk County Council will decide the location of the hub, which is expected to be in an area with high levels of deprivation where support is most needed. The council must identify at least one Best Start Family Hub site by January 2026, with interventions to be delivered from April 2026. It remains unclear whether the hub will be located in Ipswich.
The bigger picture: The government is investing over £500 million to create a network of up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across every local authority in England by 2028. If there is already a family hub or children's centre in an area, it will continue to operate and may be enhanced under the new programme.
Research shows that early support makes a real difference, according to the government, with children who had access to Sure Start centres more likely to achieve better GCSE results and improved health outcomes.
For context: Suffolk's new Best Start Family Hub funding will complement government-funded childcare expansion to 30 hours for eligible working parents from when their child is nine months old, the reach of school-based nurseries, and the rollout of free breakfast clubs in every primary school to support working parents.
A new Best Start digital service has been launched, linking NHS services to offer trusted advice and connect families to support.
The bottom line: While the funding has been announced, Suffolk families will have to wait until Suffolk County Council decides where to locate the hub, with services not beginning until April 2026 at the earliest.
