Families from across Derbyshire joined staff, partners and local organisations at special open days celebrating the county's new Best Start in Life family hubs, delivered through our Best Start in Life programme.
Held at Birdholme Best Start in Life Family Hub on Friday 16 October 2026 and Cotmanhay Best Start in Life Family Hub on Monday 19 October 2026, the events welcomed more than 100 professionals and partners alongside almost 20 families and children, giving them an opportunity to explore the hubs, meet local services and discover the support available from pregnancy through to starting school.
The events also provided an opportunity for partners and professionals to strengthen local connections, explore opportunities for collaboration and learn more about how they can contribute to Derbyshire's growing Best Start in Life network.
Families also had the opportunity to learn more about Derbyshire's growing Best Start in Life programme, including the developing online hub, which provides a single destination for information, advice, local services and support.
The open days marked the beginning of Derbyshire's wider family hub rollout, with Birdholme and Cotmanhay becoming the first Best Start in Life family hubs to open in the county. Alongside the new hubs, the programme is investing £150,000 in community outreach and volunteering opportunities to help reach more families, raise awareness of available support and strengthen connections between local services and communities. The aim is to make it easier for families to find the right help, at the right time, in the places they already know and trust.
Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services Councillor Paul Maginnis said:
"It has been fantastic to see so many families, partners and professionals coming together to celebrate the opening of our first Best Start in Life family hubs.
"Birdholme and Cotmanhay are just the beginning. We're already looking ahead to Alice's View becoming our next Best Start in Life family hub, with more locations planned across Derbyshire in the future. By working closely with health services, schools, voluntary organisations and community partners, we're creating a stronger, more connected network of support for children and families across the county."
Claire Scothern, Associate Director of Care Delivery at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“The Best Start in Life family hubs are a positive step in bringing services together around families. By working in partnership and making support easier to find locally, we can help children and families get the right support at the right time and give every child the best possible start in life.”
The family hubs build on Derbyshire's existing children's centre network and provide families with easier access to support, activities and information within their local communities.
Current plans for family hubs include family activities, information and advice for parents and carers, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), childcare information, community support and connections to local services.