6 Multi-agency practice
The work of family centres builds on the premise that targeting early support for families facing difficulties provides opportunities for parents and carers to deal with life’s challenges. In the next activity you will explore in more detail the range of multi-agency services that are available at family centres such as Hedgerows.
Activity 6 Services working together
Task 1
Watch the following video, ‘Hedgerows Family Centre’, which introduces the broader work of the centre. As you watch, try to identify the different services available for children, families and young people that Hedgerows provide, as you’ll be asked to make a note of them for the next task.

Transcript: Hedgerows Family Centre
Task 2
Use the following table to record the different services available for children, families and young people at Hedgerows.
Service users | Services |
---|---|
Families | |
Children | |
Young people |
Discussion
Many of the services available for children, young people and families at Hedgerows are summed up in the completed table below.
Service users | Services |
---|---|
Families |
|
Children |
|
Young people |
|
The focus on multi-agency practice is an important theme. As a family centre, Hedgerows is a multi-agency setting that works with different service providers spanning health, education, care and legal services. It works with health practitioners, community and youth workers, early years professionals, Citizens Advice, counsellors and charities such as Mind to provide services that meet diverse needs and that include infants, children, young people and their families (even grandparents). Furthermore, Hedgerows provides support for children and young people in care as well as unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the UK.