Dame Rachel de Souza visited a family hub in Little Harwood and launched The Big Future survey, using the Blackburn visit to gather young people’s ideas for politicians and policymakers. She also met parents, staff and children at the hub, then continued on to Blackburn Youth Zone.
Little Harwood Family Hub
The visit centred on one of Blackburn with Darwen’s Best Start Family Hubs, where de Souza spoke to staff about the services they provide in the ward. Children were asked to think about what makes them happy in their world, and they prepared cards for her about what they would like to see in their future.
The hub kept its normal activity running during the visit. That included infant feeding support groups, stay-and-play sessions, toileting workshops, two-year development checks, midwifery appointments, smoking cessation support and family help multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Julie Gunn’s Remarks
Councillor Julie Gunn, the executive member for children, young people and education, attended the visit. She said: “It was a pleasure to meet with the Children’s Commissioner and share the incredible work that our Children’s Services do, day in, day out, to support our borough’s families.”
Gunn added: “I’m always proud to see the response of high-profile visitors when they see the passion and commitment that we have in Blackburn with Darwen to making sure that every child and young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.” She also said: “The work of our Family Hubs is crucial in helping children become school-ready, and sharing how we do that with the Commissioner was a real joy.”
The Big Ask And Ambition
The Big Future builds on de Souza’s earlier national surveys, The Big Ask in 2021 and The Big Ambition in 2024. The Big Ask drew more than half a million responses, and the new survey is intended to build on those findings while asking about how to improve children’s lives, the challenges facing the future of childhood and democratic engagement.
Blackburn with Darwen has several Best Start Family Hubs, including sites in Darwen, Livesey and Shadsworth. The Little Harwood visit put the new survey next to the services children and families use every day, with de Souza collecting views she will take into her role as Children’s Commissioner.
