This January we were delighted to welcome delegates to our first ever Family Hubs conference!
Over 160 representatives from charities, schools, NHS services and other partner organisations gathered at Kingsgate Conference Centre to celebrate the achievements of Family Hubs in Peterborough so far and look ahead to the future of the programme.
Presentations and workshops
Following an introduction from John Gregg, the council’s Director of Children’s Services, we welcomed our keynote speaker. Huma Haque, Evidence and Implementation Lead at the National Centre for Family Hubs, delivered a compelling vision for the Family Hubs initiative nationally, giving examples of best practice in Family Hubs across the country.
Other presentations included Helen Freeman (Public Health Commissioning Manager) and John Peberdy (Director of Cambridgeshire Community Services ), who brought the focus back to the journey of Family Hubs here in Peterborough, recounting the history of whole-system working in the area through to the Best Start in Life strategy and being awarded funding for Family Hubs in 2022.
Fran Macklin (Family Hubs Lead Officer) and Sian Cowell (Public Health Manager for Children and Young People) led an interactive workshop designed to get attendees talking about building connections and improving accessibility in Family Hubs, including a memorable game of bingo.
Faiza Rehman, founder of the Raham Project, along with project lead Lisa-Marie South, hosted a moving session at the end of the day, focusing on the birth experiences of women from marginalised communities. Jyoti Atri, Director of Public Health, closed out the conference with reflections from the day and praise for everyone working to improve outcomes for families in the city.
How Family Hubs are helping parents
Attendees also watched a video filmed at First Steps Family Hub, where service users described the impact the programme had made in their lives.
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Positive experience for those who attended the Family Hubs conference
Throughout the conference, delegates also had space to network with other colleagues and visit stands offering relevant information from service providers and organisations.
Feedback after the event showed that 86% of attendees felt the conference had improved their knowledge of the Family Hubs programme, while 96% rated the conference as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.