Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely today welcomed the Government's announcement that the Isle of Wight Council will receive additional funding for family programmes.
The Isle of Wight Council is one of 14 Local Authorities included in the Department for Education's Trailblazers Scheme for Family Hubs and Start of Life Programmes. The Island will act as a national leader for the rollout of the Government scheme, focussing on perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationships, infant feeding and parent support.
Bob Seely MP said: “I’m pleased the Island is included in the trailblazers scheme. This is important for two reasons: First, it’s important to support families bringing up young children; our early years are formative, and parents should have access to the help they need to give their child the best start in life.
“Second, I'm always keen for the Island to be first in the queue for funding. I’m glad we’ve been recognised as a leader and it’s great that we will see improvements to our services both first and fastest.”
The scheme will guarantee the Island makes the fastest improvements to services and that Local Authorities will have access to the expertise they require to deliver the Government’s programmes. The Island - alongside other Local Authorities selected for the scheme - will receive up to an additional £183,000 of funding to deliver extra services in year one of the schemes' rollout (2022/23). The Island will also receive support from the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and the National Centre for Family Hubs.
The Island will have access to a range of support, including working with other Trailblazer authorities to solve shared problems, sharing best practice and support through regional and national forums and establishing relationships with the people responsible for maternity and early years services in government.
This news came as part of the Government's Family Hub announcement, promising £301.75m for Family Hubs and the Start of Life programme. This is part of the Government’s mission to “help millions of families to give their baby the very best start for life.”
Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister Claire Coutinho said of the scheme: “having children can be really tough as well as bringing so much joy. All families, from time to time, will need a helping hand.
“Family hubs bring services together helping parents, carers, children and young people to access the support they need more easily.
Parenting advice ranges from support with breast feeding and mental health to guidance on how to give children a head start in their learning.”
