Families in the City

The City of London Corporation and partners response to national government reform around services for 0-25-year-olds and their families.

Families in The City

Our Families in the City programme reflects national government changes around services for children, young people, families, and the development of Best Start Family Hubs.

What are Best Start Family Hubs?
Best Start Family Hubs aim to provide a central home for support and services, ensuring families get the support they need as early as possible.

Best Start Family Hubs may vary across different councils, but will generally offer the following services under one family hub banner:
• Start for Life services for families with young children aged 0-5
• support for children and young people aged 6-19
• support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) up to the age of 25

Find out more about the government’s Best Start in Life Strategy.

What will the City of London Best Start Family Hub look like?
Our Best Start Family Hub is being developed in phases and will continue to evolve over the coming months.
This isn’t about stopping any services for families. It’s about building on what we have, to ensure our offer is as accessible and appropriate for our residents as possible. To achieve this, we’ll need to make changes to how things are delivered.

How phase 1 of our Best Start Family Hub will look like from 1 September
• a virtual information and advice offer will be available on our Family Information Service website. There will be a dedicated Best Start Family Hub space bringing together services for children, young people and their families
• services will continue to be delivered in-person at various sites across the City of London including at our libraires and community centres
• support will be available to help families navigate the Best Start Family Hub offer

How can young people, parents and carers have their say?
We want to hear the voices of young people, parents and carers in the City.
One of the ways you can share your views is by joining our Family Design Lab.

The Family Design Lab is a group open to all children, young people, parents and carers, who live in the City of London, or engage with City of London Early Help, youth and family services.
Running until December, the Family Design Lab will provide a range of opportunities for you to share your views and ideas about services, and support for families.
If you sign-up to the Family Design Lab, you can choose what you’d like to be involved with and how. There is no commitment to take part in anything.

Sign-up to the Family Design Lab 

Sign-up form for 18+: Click Here!

Sign-up form 17 and younger: Click Here!

Sign-up form children and young people with SEND up to 25: Click Here!

If you’d like help filling in the sign-up form or would like information in different languages or formats please email familiesinthecity@cityoflondon.gov.uk

How to translate this page into another language?
To translate or read aloud FIS webpages, click on ReachDeck icon (white figure in red circle) in top right of the screen.

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Hands of family members touching
We aim to transform and improve services for all children, young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their families in the City of London.