Official Opening of Brynteg East Hub for Bridgend County Borough Council

We were delighted to attend the official opening of the new £1.5m centre, constructed by John Weaver Contractors.

Please read Bridgend County Borough Councils media release:

New £1.5m ‘early help’ centre to support local children and their families

The third of three local centres offering support services for children and their families has been officially opened in Bridgend County Borough.

Based within the grounds of Brynteg School, a new £1.5m single-storey building has been constructed to provide a base of operations for the East Hub Locality Team. It joins the North Hub, which is operating at Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, and the West Hub which is located within Pyle Life Centre.

Speaking at the opening, Councillor Jane Gebbie, Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help, said: “The delivery of this purpose-built centre for the East Hub Locality Team marks the completion of a programme which started when Bridgend County Borough Council set about reviewing its Integrated Working and Family Support Service, and re-fashioned it under the banner of ‘Early Help’ to create three multi-disciplinary locality teams.

“Our vision was for each of the teams to feature professionals working in areas such as family support and engagement, parenting, educational welfare, Flying Start, Families First and more, sharing skills and resources to provide effective support for local children and their families.

“Along the way, this has developed further to include community support and liaison officers from South Wales Police as well as closer integration with the council’s inclusion service, safeguarding teams, educational psychologists and health visitors from Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

“In order to be effective, early help relies heavily upon local organisations and agencies working together to identify individuals who can benefit from their support. The hub is going to be of huge benefit, and will enable the teams to reach out with locally-accessible services to help vulnerable children and their families.”

Council Leader Huw David said: “The new hub is also going to deliver benefits for Brynteg School, including improving overall attendance, facilitating more effective contact sessions and delivering enhanced support for pupils and families alike.

“I would like to thank our partners in Welsh Government who have funded the construction of the new centre through the Community Hubs grant scheme, the council’s own Major Projects team for designing it in-house, Central South Consortium and our Welsh contractors, John Weaver Limited, for its construction.

“Particular thanks are due to the head, pupils, teachers, staff and governing body of Brynteg School for accommodating this new facility, putting up with some unavoidable disruption while it was being built, and for helping to make it a reality.”

Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles added: “Projects like this make a real difference by helping to support families with a wide range of needs.

“I am delighted that we have been able to support the expansion of the East Hub through the Community Hubs Grant, and to provide communities in the Bridgend County Borough area with a suitable place to access this support.”