HCRG Care Group delivers a ‘Family Hub’ service in partnership with Barnardo’s across Essex.

It is named locally as the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service (ECFWS) and it is commissioned by Essex County Council (ECC).

A large part of the ECFWS service includes the delivery of integrated child and family services across Essex for pre-birth to 19 years.

These are made up of services historically referred to as:

• 0-5 Healthy Child Programme
• Healthy Schools Programme
• 5-19 Healthy Child Programme
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support up to 25 years
• Children in Care
• Safeguarding Services
• Management of Family Hubs and satellite Healthy Family Delivery Sites (previously known as Children’s Centres).

All of these activities have been gathered under a single family hub service offer and are now collectively known as the ‘Essex Child & Family Wellbeing Service’ which is delivered across Essex (excluding Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, which are separate unitary authorities).

Each Family Hub has a workforce made up of a collection of different professionals, including Health Visitors, School Nurses, and Healthy Family Support Practitioners. Together they work to promote the health and wellbeing of children in Essex.

As part of the service, ECFWS works with four Essex-based charities:

• Youth Enquiry Service (YES)
• Home-Start North Essex (Colchester and Harwich)
• Home-Start Essex
• Community 360

Contact:

West Essex: 0300 247 0122

South Essex: 0300 247 0013

North Essex: 0300 247 0015

Mid Essex: 0300 247 0014

The Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service now has an app available on Google Play and Apple app stores.