It is important that the Council continues to review and update its services to better serve residents across the Borough because, over time, patterns, people and needs change.
That is why we are transforming our Family Hubs to fit the needs of modern families that require more flexible support and better access to childcare, and early years education.
So, what’s changing?
Our Children’s Centres will be moving to a Family Hub model to provide a more efficient, accessible, and effective network of support
The new model brings together health, social care, and education services, ensuring families can access the help they need in one place, at the right time.
Some Children’s Centre buildings that are located on school sites (like Kingsbrook, Clapham, Peter Pan, and Pear Tree) will be returned to the schools and used to offer:
- Early years education
- Childcare
- Community-led activities
- Wraparound care
- Services that the communities need at the places and times they need them.
Our Family Hub services will be consolidated into seven key Family Hub locations at Pine Cones, Queens Park, Eastcotts, Cherry Trees, Daisy Hill, and Bluebells (Bromham).
We are also expanding our Family Hubs network, with a new Central Family Hub in Bedford Town Centre set to open in the summer of 2025 to complement our existing hubs and provide a much-needed service slap bang in the middle of our Town.
These hubs will offer improved services including health visitor support, infant feeding support, perinatal mental health services, and early intervention programmes to promote child development.
We are also introducing new play therapy, parenting workshops, and one-to-one support programmes to ensure that families have access to the help they need when they need it.
The good news doesn’t stop there.
Six primary schools in Bedford Borough have been chosen by the government to take part in the first phase of a new breakfast club scheme. These schools applied directly to take part, and the Council has just been told which ones have been selected. We’re now waiting for more details from the Department for Education about how the scheme will work. In the meantime, a member of our team — our Wraparound
Officer — will be getting in touch with each school to talk about their plans and offer support through the Council’s own wraparound childcare services.
Why are we making these changes?
At the heart of these improvements is the voice of our families. The Family Hubs Needs Assessment and Parent and Carer Panels have played a key role in shaping these changes. We are listening to feedback and ensuring that Family Hubs provide flexible, welcoming support that truly meets the needs of our communities.
To further improve our Family Hubs, we have also launched a dedicated Family Hubs website here that will act as a “one-stop shop” for families with live timetable of events and sessions across all hubs and an online booking for services, workshops, and support groups.
I am proud of the progress we are making in Bedford Borough.
This is a monthly guest column provided by elected
Mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative). It is published unedited and
does not reflect the views of the Bedford Independent.
