Your Family Hubs team

The Family Hubs team is made up of health visitors, early years educators, group support workers, community nursery nurses and volunteer skills development coordinators. The team works with families with children under five, individually and in groups, both in the home and in the family hub. The team will work closely with you and with other professionals such as midwives, GPs, speech therapists, social workers and school nurses, to plan the best care and support for you and your child.

Download the children's centre team booklet (PDF 304kb)

The Healthy Child Programme

The Healthy Child Programme is a Public Health programme focussing on early support and prevention, offered to all families from pregnancy onwards. The aim is to help ensure every child has a healthy start in life and includes screening tests, health information, advice, development reviews and immunisations.

The Healthy Child Programme is led by the health visitor, and you and your child will be offered:

• Antenatal visit (at about 30 to 36 weeks in pregnancy)
• New birth review (between 10 and 14 days after the birth)
• 6 to 8 week review (to include assessment of mother’s emotional well-being)
• 9 to 12 month review (to check developmental progress and health)
• 2 to 2 ½ year review (to check developmental progress and health)
• A visit when a family with a child under 5 moves into the area

This is called the Universal Programme.

Health Visitors

Health visitors are qualified nurses who have undertaken further specialist training in community and child health. Your health visitor may be a woman or a man. They will see all children and visit in the home, as well as offer services at the family hub.

Health visitors lead health care professionals within children's centres and work closely with other professionals.

Monitoring Growth

It is recommended that a baby’s and child’s growth is routinely measured at certain times. These are by 14 days, at 6 to 8 weeks, at 3 to 4 months, between 9 and 12 months and at 2 to 2½ years of age. Your health visitor will check your child’s growth during your child's review, or you can come to a Healthy Child Clinic.

You can weigh and measure older children at home. If you are worried please let your health visitor know.

Early Years Educators and Community Nursery Nurses

Early years educators and community nursery nurses work alongside the health visitors. They are trained in childcare, development and play, and can advise on health issues. They support families where children or parents have additional needs, under the guidance of the health visitor. They will work with you in the home as well as running groups and activities at the centres. They will also work with dads and male carers to support them to become more positively involved in their children’s lives.

Volunteer Skills Development Coordinators

Our volunteer skills development coordinators can help parents and carers to volunteer in the centre or local community, and can also give advice about local training courses and help with getting back to work. For more information, call into your local Family Hub. Group support workers work in the family hubs, and help with the running of many of the groups and activities.