Hull leading the way in early years family support
The city will receive £3.5m additional funding as a 'Trailblazer' in family support.
Hull has been singled out as one of 14 areas across the country that will serve as a leading example of good practice in early years family support.
During a visit to Parks Family Hub in Hull, Dame Andrea Leadsom, chair of the Early Years Healthy Development Review said: "There's extra funding for 75 local authorities in England, and Hull is one of 14 Trailblazers.
"They are rolling out the family hub programme much faster than other parts of the country; it's going to be great news for families. I do hope that any new families living in the Hull will look into where their local family hub is to help give their baby the best start to life."
The new hubs rolled out across the country are designed to be one-stop shops for every need a new family might have, from parent support groups to help with breastfeeding through from conception to age 19 or 25 for people with special educational needs or disabilities.
Pauline Turner, director of children's services at Hull City Council said: "Being a Trailblazer just goes to show the determination and the work that we've already led the field in terms of our history in committing to having children's centres in our communities."
She added that the need for early years support can be overlooked: "Having a child is a completely life-changing event but because so many people do it, everyone thinks everyone else should know how to do it. I think the Family Hub really helps people understand that the support is there for first-time parents. It doesn't always just come naturally.
The visit from Dame Andrea Leadsom was a chance for her to discuss which approaches to early years support work best in the area. Pauline Turner welcomed her visit and the opportunity to talk about Hull's priorities.
She said: "For Hull to be able to talk about some of the challenges that maybe other cities don't have, I think is really important, and for MPs to come and visit the local area to actually see the need that is prevalent in the city."