Proposals for the opening of a Health and Wellbeing Family Hub in Swanage in conjunction with Swanage & Purbeck Development Trust have been given the green light at Cabinet.
The hub will be part of the network of Family Hubs offering one-stop services for families, two of which have already been launched in other parts of the county.
It will be operated and delivered by the Swanage & Purbeck Development Trust and supported by Swanage Town Council in partnership with Dorset Council.
The hub will enable children’s and adult’s services to be delivered differently and will enable wider usage of the under occupied Chapel Lane site for community benefit. This will be achieved through an intergenerational Family Hub, offering an enhanced range of health and well-being services to the local community provided by a range of different organisations.
This model will be facilitated by a community asset transfer of buildings on the Chapel Lane site from Dorset Council to the Swanage & Purbeck Development Trust.
Councillor Andrew Parry, portfolio holder for Children, Education, Skills and Early Help, welcomed the decision, saying Dorset was at the forefront of delivering family hubs:
“This proposal supports the strategic objectives of the council to create strong, healthy communities. We recognise the devolution of assets to local communities, particularly to town and parish councils and voluntary and community-based organisations, can make a significant contribution to enabling them to be stronger, more resilient and to support services within their local areas.”
Councillor Peter Wharf, Cabinet Lead for Adults’ Services, added: “This proposal will enable the development of a joined up intergenerational approach to service delivery in Swanage through the creation of a Family Hub that better meets the needs of the local community and supports the delivery of children’s and adult’s services commissioning strategies.”
Bob Foster, Chair of Swanage & Purbeck Development Trust, said: “We’ve never had anything quite like this in Swanage before and the hub will be a great place for people of all ages to gather and meet socially, as well as to access essential services. There will be a community café which will be open every day and having a reception desk means that visitors can get help to find what they need both in person and by phone. In many cases the help they get will be provided at the hub itself or very locally.”
Councillor Mike Bonfield, Chairman of Swanage Town Council’s Community Services Committee, added: “We’re really looking forward to seeing a number of groups and services all available in one place which will be a big benefit to anyone visiting the hub. It will strengthen the links across different age groups and will help those providing services to meet residents’ needs all in one place.
“As well as things like maternity services, debt advice or support with mental health, we hope that community groups such as Dementia Friendly, Link Visiting (befriending people in isolation), Swanage Stroke Club, and MS Purbeck will provide services from the hub.”
Background
Dorset Council secured £875,000 from the Department of Education over two years as one of 12 national pilot sites. In addition, the Council is adding £342,000 to help develop and roll out a network of hubs.
The first Family Hub opened at Trickett’s Cross, Ferndown earlier this year.
