CrossReach's First HUB

The HUBs will address health and wellbeing issues identified for young children in areas of urban and rural deprivation.  Children in such areas often live in poverty, including financial poverty, poverty of choice in life and poverty of expectation.  The HUBs will address both physical and mental health issues for children and build services which will in turn increase life chances by helping children become ready for education and engagement in other activities.

The HUBs will be inclusive services for people from faith and non faith communities and operate over three days each week, delivering a variety of support and advice sessions to children under the age of eight and their families, in partnership with appropriate agencies (identified by CrossReach and the HUB service users).  Engagement with the local community will be an important factor in the HUBs' success and services may also be delivered in community locations outside the HUB building, if appropriate to a particular group.

Each of the HUBs will have a core service provision, along with 'bolt-on' ancillary services, according to the needs of children and parents.  Various reports, including Growing Up in Scotland (2010) indicated that attachment, early language development and health education are all pivotal in increasing a child's life chances and quality.  As a result, the Core services will include play, parenting, health clinics, early literacy and work on attachment.

The first HUB is located in Elim Church, Govanhill in the East End of Glasgow.  It will draw upon an already active model of community engagement within the area and a desire within the local statutory and voluntary services to work together to increase capacity and make a difference.