Councillor Zena Brabazon, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families, approved the acceptance of significant grant funding to continue the Family Hubs Programme and awarded contracts to several organisations to deliver these vital services. The meeting confirmed the continuation of the Best Start Family Hubs Programme, which aims to improve family services, particularly in areas with high deprivation and poor health outcomes.

Family Hubs and Start for Life Grant Funding

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families, Councillor Zena Brabazon, approved the acceptance of £4,692,300 in grant funding from the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) over three years to continue the Family Hubs Programme. This funding will be used to deliver the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies initiative, which aims to enhance family services, including those for new parents and infants, especially in areas facing significant deprivation and health inequalities.

As part of this approval, contracts were awarded to three organisations:

• Whittington Health NHS Trust: Awarded a contract for the provision of the Parent Infant Psychology Service (PIPS) for two years, from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2028, with a maximum cost of £550,620. This service is crucial for supporting families and staff within the Family Hubs, offering direct work with families and infants, as well as training for staff. The decision to award this contract directly was made under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, as Whittington Health NHS Trust was deemed to be satisfactorily delivering its current contract and the new arrangements would not represent a material change.
• Baby's Sake: Awarded a contract for the provision of therapeutic interventions supporting parents and babies. This contract is for three years, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, at a cost of £105,000. Baby's Sake offers a trauma-informed, attachment-based therapeutic programme integrated with local services.
• Wards Corner: Awarded a contract for the delivery of Latin American Stay and Play sessions. This contract also runs for three years, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, at a cost of £27,595. These sessions aim to empower targeted families and provide support for mothers to build social skills and prevent isolation.

The decision to award these contracts without a full competitive quotation process was made under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 18.01.2(d)(iii), as the value of the contracts was below the applicable threshold and it was deemed to be in the Council's overall interest. The report highlighted that these providers have been delivering services through the Family Hubs Programme since 2023 and have established relationships within the local community.

The rationale for accepting the grant and awarding these contracts was to ensure the uninterrupted provision of essential services to families and to comply with the grant conditions. The report noted that alternative options, such as not accepting the grant or undertaking a full competitive tendering process, were not considered viable due to time constraints, the specialist nature of the services required, and the risk of service disruption, which could jeopardise the grant funding. The Best Start Family Hubs Programme aligns with several key council strategies, including the Corporate Delivery Plan 2024-2026, the Early Years Strategy 2023-2026, and the Early Help Strategy 2024-2027.

The funding is part of a national initiative jointly managed by the DfE and the DHSC, and Haringey Council will receive approximately £1.5 million in the 2026-2027 financial year. The report also confirmed that the contract awards will have no implication on the Council's General Fund, as the entire expenditure will be covered by the grant funding.

The meeting was informed that the Council has a public sector equality duty under the Equalities Act 2010, and the proposed contracts are not expected to have a disproportionately negative impact on any group with protected characteristics. In fact, the decision is anticipated to have a positive impact on service users, including pregnant individuals, new mothers, and children and young people.

Further details on the Family Hubs Programme and the grant funding can be found in the Family Hub Grant Funding Report - FINAL. The full decisions made at the meeting are available in the Decisions 05th-Mar-2026 10.30 Cabinet Member Signing.pdf.