Children and Family Centres

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  1. What are our aims?

  2. What are our priorities?

  3. Can I use a Children and Family Centre?
  4. Core purpose
  5. Start for Life
  6. List of Children and Family Centres

Children and Family Centres

There are 12 Children and Family Centres in Tower Hamlets. These are free and open for all parents and carers with children from birth-19 years of age (up to 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), who live in the borough to access a range of services including:

  • Play
  • Family support
  • Health
  • Training
  • Employment

Our Children and Family Centres aim to improve outcomes for all children, young people and their families. They enable access to a range of universal and targeted services, support with any concerns and play a major part in early identification and early intervention.

What are our aims?

  • To support parents in their role as the first educator
  • To empower families to access a wide range of care, play and support services
  • To be a centre for joined-up services with partners

What are our priorities?

  • Health and wellbeing
  • Childcare and employment
  • Parenting confidence and capacity
  • Child development and school readiness

Can I use my Children and Family Centre?

Each Children and Family Centre has a locality area. We prioritise families using the following order: 

  • Children living within the reach of the locality 

  • Children living within the borough of Tower Hamlets. 

Core purpose

The core purpose of Early Help and Children & Family Services is to improve outcomes for all children, young people and their families, as well as reduce inequalities between the most disadvantaged children.

Children playing with paint arts

We follow  statutory guidance and achieve this through the following targets:  

  • Child development and school readiness, to enable children to become confident and curious learners by providing early learning opportunities:
    • Through universal and targeted stay and play sessions.
    • By providing support to access free early learning childcare entitlements.
    • Working in partnership with schools and other providers.
  • Raising aspirations and improving parenting skills, which will support parents to give their child the best possible start to life by providing:
    • Family support.
    • Evidence-based parenting programmes.
    • Specialist programmes and targeted services for parents/carers.
  • Reducing inequalities through supporting parents to improve economic wellbeing by reducing health inequalities by improving health and life chances, and ensuring that children are safeguarded by supporting parents/carers to access:
    • A range of health services.
    • Family support.
    • Advice and support on public health outcomes.
    • Partnership with the community and stakeholders.
  • Supporting parents/carers into training and employment by providing:

Start for Life

The Council and our partners want Tower Hamlets to be a great place for expectant parents and carers, and a great place for babies to be born in. We talk about the time that spans a child’s earliest developmental stages as the first 1,001 critical days, starting from conception and continuing until a child is two years old.

We want to ensure that our services, staff and volunteers, places and online resources meet parents, carers and babies’ needs in ways that are helpful, and considerate.

During the first 1,001 critical days every aspect of a baby’s environment has an influence on their physical, emotional, and social development; and parents and carers’ own well-being affects how emotionally available and responsive they can be with their baby.

A baby’s brain develops very rapidly during the first 1,001 critical days, and babies’ interactions and experiences during this time affect their development later: for example, when forming relationships, developing language, and becoming a confident learner. 

List of Children and Family Centres

For more information about activities and other services available at each centre, please refer to the centre of your choice:

Around Poplar

115 Three Colt Street
London
E14 8AP

Tel: 020 7364 0540

South East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Chrisp Street

45 Kerbey Street
London
E14 6AW

Tel: 020 7364 2856

South East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Collingwood

St Bartholomew Gardens
Buckhurst Street
London
E1 5QT

Tel: 020 7364 0539  

North West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Isle of Dogs Family Hub

Millwall Park
Stebondale Street
London
E14 3BX

Tel: 020 7364 1179

South East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

John Smith Family Hub

90 Stepney Way
London
E1 2EN

Tel: 020 7364 0537 

South West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Marner

Marner Centre
Devas Street
London
E3 3LL

Tel: 020 7364 3534  

North East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Meath Gardens

1 Smart Street
London
E2 0SN

Tel: 020 7364 0349   

North West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Mile End

9 Bede Square
Joseph Street
Off Bow Common Lane
London
E3 4GY

Tel: 020 7364 7557 

North East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Mowlem

Wadeson Street
London
E2 9DL

Tel: 020 7364 7935

North West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Ocean

Whitehorse Road
London
E1 0ND

Tel: 020 7364 6605 

South West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Olga Centre

25 Medway Road

London

E3 5DS

Tel: 020 7364 3100

North East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Overland

60 Parnell Road
Bow
London
E3 2RU

Tel: 020 7364 1925 

North East Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Shadwell (Ocean) Children and Family Centre

418 Cable Street

London

E1 0AF0

Tel: 208 7364 1836

South West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

Wapping

15 Richard Street
London
E1 2JP

Tel: 020 7364 6004 

South West Locality Spring Activity Timetable

 

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