Big Win for Harold Hill Families As Government Funding Set to Transform Local Support.

Parents and children in Harold Hill will get some welcome support this year as a result of new government funding.

Part of a Best Start £153,555 grant from the Department for Education will be used for Havering Council-run family hubs at the MyPlace centre in Dagnam Park Drive and Ingrebourne Children’s Centre in Ashbourne Road from April 2026.

The local authority says it will enhance existing services and offer support with health, education and social care, including delivery of parenting programmes, home learning interventions, and mental health services.

The funding is part of an ongoing nationwide drive to support 500,000 more children in the most disadvantaged areas in 75 local authorities.

The government says the hubs will offer services ranging from birth registration and midwifery support to debt advice and youth clubs.

It is hoped the additional provision will aid early childhood development and to help pupils to thrive in school, with an aim of ensuring at least three quarters of kids in England reach ‘expected development levels’ by 2028.

The two Harold Hill sites will be satellite facilities to a main hub at St Kilda’s Children’s Centre in Eastern Road, Romford.

Havering’s Cabinet approved St Kilda as the most suitable main site on January 14 due to its central location, easy accessibility by public transport, existing infrastructure and high service usage, along with its potential to expand existing services.

One of the report’s key findings was that Gooshays and Heaton remain the highest-risk wards in the borough in terms of child development risk, with the biggest need for free school meals (23 percent) and special educational needs provision (19 percent).

Those two areas also had the highest rates of childhood obesity (12 percent) and persistent absence from school (10 percent), and the highest crime rate (9.5 crimes per 1,000 residents).

The report also included a graph showing how many people attended Havering-based children’s centres in 2024-25 and it highlighted a footfall of 16,623 at St Kilda compared to 11,590 at Ingrebourne. There was no data displayed for MyPlace.

It also explains how the two Harold Hill centres are based in the Gooshays ward and are easily accessible by bus from the Heaton and Havering Park wards.

Lead Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Oscar Ford, told fellow Cabinet members the long-term vision is to establish family hubs in every part of the borough.

He added: “This is the first of a number of hubs planned for the borough to provide parenting support and home learning programmes to improve children’s outcomes in early childhood.

“Our aim is to ensure children reach their expected development levels.

“By ensuring earlier interventions, we hope to reduce the risk of adverse childhood experiences that some young people face so we can improve opportunities and life chances of the next generation.”

The Harold Hill Residents Association Action Group told the Havering Daily:

“This is very welcome news for parents and children in Harold Hill. The investment in family hubs at MyPlace and Ingrebourne Children’s Centre shows a real commitment to supporting families where the need is greatest. By strengthening access to health, education, parenting support and mental health services locally, this funding has the potential to make a meaningful difference to early childhood development and long-term outcomes. We are particularly pleased that Harold Hill will benefit from satellite hubs that are easy to access for families across Gooshays and Heaton helping ensure support reaches those who need it most.”

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