New family wellbeing hubs are set to open across West Dunbartonshire as they look to offer specialist help.
The aim of the three hubs - in Clydebank, Dumbarton and Alexandria - is to improve family wellbeing, reduce inequalities between the most and least disadvantaged communities and reduce the number of families needing crisis intervention.
The facilities will also look to offer a range of universal, targeted and specialist services to help and support people which will encourage families to flourish.
The council, along with West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership, has invested £604,000.
The hubs are open Tuesday to Thursday at the Y-Sort-it Base in Bonhill, Concorde Centre in Dumbarton and the Hub Community Centre in Clydebank between 9.30am and 4pm.
Feedback from a multi-agency steering group and meetings with parents, Kinship Carers and information from key partners including the Champions Board, Y-Sort-It WDC Youth Council and Young Ambassadors have ensured carers and all young people’s groups are represented and their needs proactively considered.
Councillor Clare Steel, convener of educational services, said: “I am very grateful to everyone who has given their feedback in the development stages of these hubs.
"This information has been instrumental in ensuring we provide the right support which has given us a great opportunity to transform services for families and children and develop a strategic approach that focuses more on prevention.
"It is also pleasing to see our partners working together to re-align our resources and priorities offering a range of specialist services and family support which is timely and accessible with early intervention and prevention at its core.”
Councillor Michelle McGinty, chair of West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership and vice chair of the community planning partnership, added: “I am pleased to see the hubs open and it is great to see the progress we’ve made in offering this additional support to our families.
"Our priority now is to ensure families who need support know where their local hub is to visit for support and guidance.
"The diverse range of specialist services that is available in the hubs will include Neurodevelopmental workers; Includem; Education Outreach workers; Specialists in Family Group Decision Making; Speech and Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists and Family Nursing staff.”
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