Role: Programme Lead
Duration: 12 months
Overview
Family Hubs integrate various services into a ‘one-stop shop’ to improve access, enhance connections among families, professionals, and providers, and prioritise relationships in family support.
Dorset Council, one of 12 local authorities to receive Department for Education (DfE) transformation funding, faced unique challenges due to its rural nature. My experience in community development within the voluntary sector allowed us to propose an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach that caught the DfE's attention.
Achievements
- Innovative Model: Developed a unique Family Hub model tailored to each community's needs, utilising existing assets and resources.
- Rapid Deployment: Enabled Dorset to be the first to open two hubs within the first funding quarter.
- Estate Optimisation: Repurposed Children’s Centre estate, including asset disposal, community asset transfer, and re-designation.
- Digital Integration: Launched an online Family Hub, supported by a community digital champion network, and branded library and customer service computers as online Family Hubs with trained staff assistance.
Approach
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD):
- Principle: Communities drive their development by mobilising existing, often unrecognised assets, including individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections.
- Outcome: Created a sustainable, community-driven model, directing funds to build local organisations' capacity to lead, sustain, and evolve the Family Hub network.
Impact
- Sustainability: The model is not dependent on future statutory policy and funding, empowering communities to own and shape services.
- System change: Alignment of health services (CAHMS, health visiting, maternity) with delivery model.
- Insight and Reach: Local intelligence, supported by data, ensures services are available where they are most needed. Pop-up sessions and a comprehensive digital offer extend reach into even the most rural areas.
- Financial Savings: Achieved through the rationalisation of underutilised council buildings.
Skills Demonstrated
Programme Management: