lifestyle
Birmingham Launches Comprehensive Support Services for New Parents and Families
Families in Birmingham can draw on established local services for practical help with raising children from birth onwards.
How we reported this
Birmingham has the largest proportion of children aged 0-5 years of any local authority in England, with increasing ethnic diversity in newer cohorts. This demographic profile shapes the demand for accessible family support across the city.
Family Hubs network
The city operates ten physical Family Hub locations across Birmingham providing free, no-referral advice and practical support for families. These hubs serve as entry points for parents seeking guidance on everyday challenges without needing prior approval or appointments in many cases.
Solihull Approach courses
Parents can access free, NHS-supported online and face-to-face Solihull Approach parenting courses using the password 'COMMUNITY', covering topics from conception to parenting 19-year-olds. The courses address developmental stages and relationship building in a structured format available to any resident.
Specialised programmes
Unique specialised programs include Approachable Parenting's culturally sensitive '5 Pillars of Parenting' for Muslim and BAME families and the EasyPeasy App for speech and language development in children aged 0-5. These targeted offerings respond to the city's diverse population and focus on early communication skills.
Families face significant challenges including higher child poverty rates and poorer maternal and infant health outcomes compared to the rest of England, with one in five babies likely to experience parent-infant relationship difficulties. Services such as the hubs and courses are designed to address these pressures through consistent, no-cost access.
Residents can start by visiting one of the ten Family Hub locations or entering the password 'COMMUNITY' to enrol in a Solihull Approach course. The EasyPeasy App and Approachable Parenting sessions provide additional routes for specific needs around speech development and cultural context.