Experiences of people using Family Hubs

Healthwatch Coventry undertook a survey across Coventry Family Hubs to understand families’ awareness of, experiences with, and views about Start for Life services. A total of 42 respondents took part while attending Baby, Bump and Beyond sessions or other hub activities.

The purpose of the survey was to assess how well-known the Start for Life programme is, how helpful families find the services offered, and what improvements they feel are needed. The insights are intended to support discussions about service delivery and planning, rather than to act as formal recommendations.

Key Findings

Most families expressed high satisfaction with the support they received, with 98% rating services as good or very good. They valued the welcoming hub environments, the availability of age‑appropriate toys and activities, and opportunities to socialise with other parents. Services most frequently used included midwifery, health visiting, baby weighing, and stay-and-play sessions.

However, several issues emerged. Some families experienced communication challenges, especially when discussing child health concerns, often due to language barriers. A number of parents were unaware of available services, including that baby weighing is free, suggesting a need for clearer information and stronger promotion. Concerns were also raised about the quality of infant feeding support and some negative experiences with perinatal mental health services.

Equity, Safety, and Access Issues

Observations highlighted inequalities in access, particularly for families who speak little or no English. In some hubs, especially in sessions for vulnerable families or those living in hotel accommodation, safety issues were noted due to inadequate supervision and the use of unsuitable materials such as sharp pencils and scissors around babies.

Some hubs offered unsafe environments for very young children, particularly in mixed‑age spaces without appropriate resources or monitoring.

Feedback From Families

Parents generally praised staff friendliness, accessibility of hubs, and the benefits for children’s social development. Some requested more aftercare for new mothers, better infant feeding support, clearer signposting to services, and help understanding where to go for specific needs such as baby weighing.

Areas for Improvement

The report identifies several priorities:

• Improving awareness of Start for Life services through clearer communication and signage.
• Addressing language barriers through interpretation and translated information.
• Strengthening infant feeding support and referral pathways.
• Enhancing perinatal mental health experiences through more compassionate communication.
• Ensuring safer, age‑appropriate environments and better supervision, particularly for vulnerable families.
• Providing clearer pathways and activities for children over two.
• Increasing engagement with younger parents through tailored outreach.