We will receive a share of £300m in funding from the government's Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which will support our Family Centres to help local families.

The money will be used to develop our existing Family Centres, aligning them with the government’s Family Hub approach. This will include giving parents and carers advice on how to take care of their child and make sure they are safe and healthy, supporting them in gaining the best start for life.

The family hubs will act as a ‘one-stop shop’ to offer guidance and advice on a range of circumstances including infant feeding, mental health support, health visits and parenting classes. They will also bring together wider wraparound services that can make a huge difference to people who need extra support, such as advice on getting into work, relationship building and stop smoking services.

Investing in families and making sure they get the support they need from birth through to adulthood helps with children’s educational attainment, wellbeing and life chances, while also improving wider outcomes such as poor mental health and unemployment.

Councillor Trevor Cave, Cabinet spokesperson for Children's Services, said: "We want every family in Barnsley to be able to enjoy life in good physical and mental health.

“The money we will receive from this programme will make it easier for families to access support when they need it and allow them to have happy, healthy and longer lives in safer and stronger communities."

Claire Coutinho, Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister, said: “Having children can be really tough as well as bringing so much joy. All families, from time to time, will need a helping hand.

“Family hubs bring services together helping parents, carers, children and young people to access the support they need more easily.

“Parenting advice ranges from support with breast feeding and mental health to guidance on how to give children a head start on their learning.”