Above: Councillor Joe Hearnshaw, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, with Debbie and Natasha, Milton Keynes City Council staff at Moorlands Family Centre in Beanhill
Milton Keynes City Council has updated its Family Centres network to be accessible to thousands of additional children and young people, and their families and carers.
Historically, the city council Children’s Centres mostly focused on under 5s, backed up by several Family Centres where residents could find much wider range of events, courses, play sessions and other support services. Families Centres are designed for families with children aged 0-19, or up to 25 if they have additional needs, as well as other community uses.
Now, in response to feedback from families, the city council has consolidated its services into ten enhanced Family Centres spread evenly across Milton Keynes, which will each open all year round and offer a full range of support, making it easier for families with children of all ages to access what they need, closer to home.
In the past year, more than 35,000 parents, carers and children have been helped by the friendly team at one of the city council’s centres.
“Our Family Centres are extremely welcoming and we’re investing in making that welcome reach even more local families. We listened to feedback from the residents who already use our centres, and looked at where our city continues to expand, to make sure the team is best placed to help families today and future communities.
If you’ve never visited one of our centres before, now is a great time to start - there’s no need to make an appointment and you could learn about valuable support, make new friends or join a regular group.”
Children’s Centre colleagues have moved to the enhanced Family Centres, where teams have expanded. Five buildings that are no longer used to provide city council children’s sessions are being repurposed in partnership with local schools, clubs, and the wider community.
Find out what’s on at your nearest Family Centre at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/family-centres