Stronger Families Hub - Information for professionals
Working with our partners, we have built on our existing service to create a new single point of contact for children, young people and families in Hillingdon to access a wide range of support services 24/7 and offer a helping hand to become a stronger family.
All child protection referrals should be made by telephone on 01895 556006. The details of the safeguarding concern must be confirmed in writing, as a matter of urgency, the same day. This is achieved by completing the early help assessment.
What is the Stronger Families Hub?
- The hub is a new easily-accessible and integrated single point of contact for families and professionals in Hillingdon.
- The model combines a social work led service, adult mental health service and the Hillingdon MASH.
- It enables schools, post-16 and early years providers to request support in an educational establishment for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
- It enables health professionals to conform with the statutory requirement of completing a SEND Early Health Notification, once they have identified a child who may have long-term SEND .
- It has 1 telephone number, 1 email address and 1 referral form.
- It's a place where residents and professionals can access information, advice and assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
What are the benefits?
- The Stronger Families Hub provides a single point of contact, so that everything is accessible in the same place and uses the same process.
- It ensures timely information and advice is readily accessible for families 24 hours of the day, throughout the calendar year.
- The hub allows better information sharing between professionals, which ensures a more co-ordinated and faster response to the needs of children and families in Hillingdon.
How do I make a referral?
Please complete the relevant referral form through our online portal if you are:
- a professional wanting to request support for a family or
- an early years provider or educational setting requesting SEND support for a child/young person within your school/setting or
- an early years provider or educational setting requesting an Education and Health Care Needs Assessment for a child/young person.
Make a referral (opens new window)
- Guidance for making a referral through the online portal (PDF) [2MB]
- PDF version of the Early Help Assessment (PDF) [270KB]
- Early Help Assessment Exemplar (PDF) [277KB]
You can also get in touch with the Stronger Families Hub team by emailing strongerfamilieshub@hillingdon.gov.uk or call 01895 556006.
Hillingdon MASH
Within the Stronger Families Hub sits Hillingdon MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub), which is the hub's safeguarding element where professionals share information quickly about police referrals of domestic abuse (Merlins) and referrals where there are concerns about a child's safety or welfare.
Hillingdon's MASH is made up of representatives from the following services:
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Children's Social Care
- Education
- Housing
- Police (PPD)
- Probation
- Youth Justice Service
- Health
- Early Intervention
- Adults' Mental Health
- Adults' Safeguarding
- Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy.
Child protection conferences
- If you need to submit a multi agency report for a scheduled child protection conference, please use the secure email address safeguardingchildrenadmin@hillingdon.gov.uk.
- All other general enquiries about arrangements for child protection conferences should be emailed to safeguardingchildrenadmin@hillingdon.gov.uk
Useful resources and websites
- Hillingdon Safeguarding Children Partnership (opens new window)
- Your local children's centres and what's on offer
- Targeted programmes for children and adolescents
- SEND Local Offer - a range of local agencies for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and how to access them
- Care and Support Directory for Hillingdon (opens new window) - services and resources for families in Hillingdon