Transforming services for children and families

About the Family Wellbeing Programme

Our Family Wellbeing Programme will transform the support services provided to families and children aged 0 to 19. We want to take a preventative approach to issues and our services, as we currently have too many children and families needing social care or other specialist support. The sooner a child, young person or family can access help, the less likelihood there is of difficulties escalating to need more specialist help.

 Watch a video of Councillor Emma Williamson speaking about the launch of the project. 

How we are going to develop the programme

We will be working closely with those who use our services and partner organisations – such as schools, the NHS and our voluntary sector colleagues. We also want to spend time listening to local children, young people and parents or other caregivers. The more people who can share their views, the greater the chance we have of working together to design new support, in the right place at the right time, to improve the lives of Cumberland’s children and young people.

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Our strategic approach

We have agreed a Family Help and Prevention Strategy which outlines our approach to improving and supporting family wellbeing.

It sets out how investment will change, prioritising providing support to children, young people, and families at the earliest opportunity and improving access to services by bringing them closer to the communities that need them.

The strategy, developed from feedback given by the community, children and families, is designed to address issues before they escalate and seeks to create a supportive environment where families can thrive and children can achieve their full potential.

Some additional documents which have fed into the strategy and form part of its appendices are:

Services we provide

We help and support children and families in a number of ways. These include a range of early help services that are either provided directly by us or are commissioned from health or community partners. This will include everything from 0 to 19 health visiting and community school nursing, to family and youth support.

Services provided by other organisations:

• the national Healthy Child Programme which provides health visitor reviews in the first years of a child’s life, as well as the aged 5 to19 public health nursing service, support for vulnerable families, breastfeeding advice . This work is  provided by North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• The Child and Family Support Service is provided by Family Action and provides family support work, guidance, signposting and peer support to children and young people.

Family Hubs

We are one of the first areas in the country to receive funding from Department for Education to provide Family Hubs, which aims to bring together a range of services and support for families into a single, accessible location. 

The pilot hub opened in Whitehaven in April 2024. Read more about the launch.

How to contact us and staying in touch

If you want to find out more, have your say on our plans, or would like to know more about volunteering opportunities email FamilyWellbeing@cumberland.gov.uk.