Family Hubs Toolkit

1. Introduction

Overview

This toolkit is designed to help local churches and faith groups/places of worship explore how they can play a key role in the delivery of Family Hubs in their communities, in partnership with Local Authorities and other organisations. It also equips Local Authorities to feel more confident in approaching faith groups, and in particular churches, to collaborate and work alongside them in their Family Hubs. It provides a practical roadmap - built on real-world examples, trusted frameworks, and lived experience - for making a long-lasting difference in family life through welcoming, inclusive, and relational community spaces.

Family Hubs can act as bridges between public sector services and the supportive communities that walk with people through crisis and recovery. This is not about churches delivering council services—it’s about creating trusted pathways of connection.

Purpose of the Toolkit

Equip churches and faith groups to work collaboratively in local Family Hub networks.
Equip Local Authorities to understand and collaborate effectively with churches and the wider faith sector.
Help both churches and Local Authorities understand and articulate why churches are such good partners for Family Hubs: highlighting the unique relational strengths, buildings, volunteers, and trusted networks churches can offer helping to reduce stigma, offer earlier support, and build resilient communities.

Who is This Toolkit For?

Local Authority staff designing or refreshing Family Hub offers
Community Link Workers and Early Help teams
Faith-based volunteers, ministry leaders and church leaders
Public sector partnership boards, strategic planners, and service commissioners

What This Toolkit Offers

Templates, examples, and scripts to start partnerships and design Hubs
Training ideas for volunteers and Local Authority staff
Case studies of effective partnerships
Resources to support long-term sustainability and evaluation

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Essential Reading

What are Family Hubs?

Family Hubs are local spaces of intentional welcome that bring together different services in a ‘one stop shop’. Family Hubs offer holistic, wraparound support for children, parents, carers and extended families. From parenting support and youth mentoring to practical help like food banks and advice services, they provide a physical and relational gateway to wider services, and a place where families can connect and grow in dignity and community.

They offer one central location where families can access face-to-face support and information from a variety of services making it easier for families to get the help they need.

Who are Family Hubs for?

Family Hubs are designed for those who are:

A parent or carer of a child aged 0 to 19, or 25 with special educational needs or a disability
Pregnant
A young person up to the age of 19, or up to 25 for a young person with special educational needs or a disability

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Empower people to help themselves.

Why are Family Hubs Important?

A recent UNICEF UK survey shows that over half of families with young children in Britain are struggling financially or with mental health challenges, putting children's futures at risk without more support.

Family members and caregivers are children's first teachers, helping them build emotional security and confidence. Adults model behaviour and teach values, shaping children’s character and development.

There are three crucial stages in a child's life where support is vital.

The first 1,000 days - from conception to age two - are critical, as by age three, a child's brain reaches 90% of its adult size. Good nutrition, healthcare, communication, and affection during this time are essential for healthy development. However, many families who are already struggling miss out on these vital foundations. More than a third of parents say they find it difficult to access healthcare, with those on low incomes hit the hardest.

School readiness is another key stage, with recent reports showing half of UK children are not ready to start school. Skills like self regulation, which are key to doing well are much harder to develop after age six if they’re not already in place.

Adolescence is the third crucial phase, bringing new risks and opportunities. Currently, one in ten GCSE-year students in England miss school daily, with anxiety, illness, and financial hardship contributing to rising levels of absences.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support remains a major issue, with complaints from parents about gaps in provision rising by 75% over the past four years.

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Families Matter

The Centre for Social Justice ‘Breakdown Britain’ Report (2006), described family breakdown as - Dissolution, dysfunction, dadlessness. Their ‘Why Family Matters’ Report 2019 stated:

“In modern Britain…the stark fact is that the break-up of family relationships is one of the quickest routes into poverty. Government figures have long shown that children in families that break apart are more than twice as likely to experience poverty as those whose families stay together.”

The analysis in the report demonstrated that an individual who has experienced family breakdown before the age of 18 years old (while controlling for age, gender, socio-economic grade and ethnicity, as well as all other social issues tested) is:

Over twice as likely (2.3 times) to experience homelessness
Twice as likely (2.0 times) to be in trouble with the police or spend time in prison
Almost twice as likely (1.9 times) to experience educational underachievement
Almost twice as likely (1.9 times) to experience not being with the other parent of
their child/ren
Approaching twice as likely (1.8 times) to experience alcoholism
Approaching twice as likely (1.7 times) to experience teen pregnancy
Approaching twice as likely (1.7 times) to experience mental health issues
More likely (1.6 times) to experience debt
More likely (1.4 times) to experience being on benefits

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CSJJ6900-Family-Report-190405-WEB.pdf

Supporting families to reduce both the chance and the impact of family breakdown is essential for the flourishing of children and families in our communities..

‍Why Involve the Church?

Churches are already present in nearly every community - open throughout the week, offering practical support and a place of trust, safety, and belonging. Churches provide more than programmes - they offer relational care, long-term commitment, and an ethos rooted in hope and transformation.

Some families and communities struggle to trust Local Authorities or Children’s Services whether because of their own previous experiences, or a fear due to the perception that they remove children from their families. Churches can help to navigate these relationships with families for whom this is a concern.

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Why Should Churches Get Involved in Family Hubs?

Your desire to serve: Jesus calls people to love our neighbours (Mark 12:31) and care for the vulnerable (Matthew 25:35–40). Partnering with Family Hubs helps churches connect with families who need support, offering care, an intentional welcome, and practical help in our communities.
You have a lot to bring: Churches already run many activities that match the needs of Family Hubs — toddler groups, foodbanks, youth work, and more. They offer trusted spaces, volunteers, and a heart for building relationships
Your expertise: In a world where many feel isolated or forgotten, the church can offer community, dignity, and belonging (Psalm 68:6 — “God sets the lonely in families”). They can create spaces where people can find friendship, explore hope, meaning, and purpose — things that are often missing in other services.
Your local relationships: Churches are deeply rooted in their communities. Working with Family Hubs strengthens these bonds, reaching people where they are.

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Key Factors for Churches Considering Involvement in Family Hubs

1. Acceptance Before Assessment

People flourish when they are accepted first - accepted in their struggles, in their strengths, and in their potential to contribute to the life of the community. True welcome creates a foundation for hope and trust.

2. People Over Projects

At the heart of this work are people, not programmes. Relationships, built on compassion and understanding, are what truly change lives. Every conversation and every shared moment has value beyond what any project plan can measure.

3. Space of Safety

Space, whether physical or virtual, is essential. A safe and welcoming environment gives room for conversations to grow, for trust to deepen, and for support to flourish. Without intentional space, even the best ideas can struggle to take root. Good spaces are easy to find, comfortable to enter, and feel like part of everyday life.

4. Hold Hope

Sometimes, hope feels too heavy for individuals or families to hold on their own. Family Hubs have the opportunity to hold hope on their behalf, gently supporting and encouraging until they are ready to take it up again themselves.

5. Home from Home

Support feels strongest when it is offered close to where people live, in spaces that feel familiar and comfortable. Familiar places can become anchors - settings where families feel known, valued, and at ease.

6. Owned Together

The most vibrant community spaces are those that feel owned by the people who gather there. When families see a place as “theirs,” it becomes a true home - a place of safety, belonging, and equality. In these spaces, everyone stands on level ground.

7. Equipped and Supported People

Volunteers and staff are vital to the life of a Family Hub. Regular training equips them to offer safe, competent support, while recognising their own limitations. Rather than simply signposting, team members walk a journey with people, helping them connect with the right next steps. Robust governance should be in place; policies and procedures as well as legal oversight.

8. Building Resilience

Family Hubs empower people to find their own solutions to the challenges they face. This approach builds dignity, confidence, and lasting strength, rather than creating dependency. Encouraging resilience enables families to grow into their own future.

9. Intentional Welcome

A Family Hub should be clearly open and visible to the whole community. The doors - both literal and metaphorical - should be wide open, creating a sense of belonging from the moment someone approaches. Every person should experience an intentional welcome without stigma - one where no one is judged and people are accepted where they are.

‘Intentional welcome’ is a deliberate approach to hospitality that actively anticipates the diverse backgrounds, needs, and experiences of families. It goes beyond friendliness or politeness; it’s about making sure people feel seen, safe, and valued from their first interaction. It means signage and language that are inclusive and easy to understand, spaces that reflect the diversity of the community, staff trained to engage without judgment, and practices that reduce barriers to entry - whether cultural, linguistic, social, or emotional. It fosters an environment where people come in and are welcomed, connected and known. Whether families are barely surviving or functioning and thriving, they should find the Family Hub a place of connection and relationship.

10. Collaboration at Every Level

Family Hubs thrive through collaboration — with families, volunteers, churches, local organisations, and the Local Authority. Working together builds deeper, long lasting support networks and ensures that the Hub truly reflects the needs and hopes of its community. We are all in it together.

Deep Dive

Principles of Practice

Outlines the values, approaches, and frameworks that underpin effective faith–local authority collaboration in Family Hub contexts.

Core Principles for Collaborative Family Support

1. Relational Practice at the Core

“Start with relationships, not referrals.”

Families are more likely to engage with people they know and trust.
Building rapport is not an “add-on” but foundational to successful early help.
Trusted voluntary and faith-based workers often act as the bridge between families and formal services.

2. Strengths-Based and Resilience-Oriented

Emphasise what’s going well for a family alongside what needs support.
Use frameworks such as the Risk and Resilience Matrix to shape conversations that look for protective factors, not just vulnerabilities.
Help families recognise their own capacities and build confidence to manage change.

3. Integrated, Whole-Family Focus

Family Hubs should serve the whole family, not just individual children or parents in isolation.
Multi-agency support needs to be holistic, responsive, and family-led, not service-led.
This includes attention to housing, mental health, parenting, schooling, and spiritual or community connections.

4. Embedded in Community

Faith and community groups are often the first place families go, not a last resort.
Churches and local organisations already offer toddler groups, food banks, youth clubs, and peer support. These are powerful entry points to wider help.
Embedding services in these trusted spaces increases access and reduces stigma.

5. Inclusive, Equitable, and Faith-Friendly

Family Hubs must welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Faith groups should commit to inclusive service ( inclusive language and spaces) while also being confident in the distinctive values they bring (e.g. hospitality, care, dignity).
All organisations should understand and respect legal obligations (e.g. safeguarding, equality).

6. Consent-Led & Trust-Building

Families must know who is helping them, why, and what will be shared.
Consent and data sharing need to be clear, relational, and revisited regularly—not just signed once and forgotten.
Voluntary sector partners should be trained in handling sensitive information and working within agreed information sharing protocols.

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Practical Partnership Approaches

1. Local Mapping & Engagement

Use tools like asset mapping to identify churches, mosques, temples, community centres and the activities they already run (e.g., toddler groups, warm spaces, counselling, family meals). See further Gather Movement Mapping.
Schedule listening events where Family Hub staff and community leaders share what’s already happening and what the opportunities for development are.

2. Named Link Roles

Assign named people in Family Hubs to act as points of contact for voluntary and faith-based partners.
Similarly, encourage each community group to identify a nominated liaison person.
These roles maintain regular communication, flag emerging family needs, and coordinate support.

3. Training & Development

Offer shared training sessions - safeguarding, trauma-informed practice, resilience models.
Provide toolkits and practical guides (like this one!) to help partners understand systems and referral pathways.
Include faith literacy and voluntary sector training for statutory staff, building mutual respect and understanding.

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‍Further Reading

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