By KLTV Newsdesk –

Kirklees Council has introduced the ‘Families Together Gateway’, a new initiative designed to streamline access to essential support and services for families in the region.

The service provides guidance from pre-birth through childhood and adolescence, extending up to 25 years old for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Easy Access to a Wide Range of Services

The Families Together Gateway is open to all and can be accessed via phone, in person, or through a simple online form.

The initiative covers various areas of support, including parenting and carer assistance, emotional health and wellbeing services, local activities, early years provisions for under-5s, and information on education and employment opportunities.

A Collaborative Approach to Family Support

Councillor Amanda Pinnock, Cabinet Member for Education and Communities, highlighted the importance of providing timely and effective assistance to families.

“Providing the earliest and best support to Kirklees families is very important to us,” she said.

“Families Together is all about accessing the right help at the right time and from the right place – that’s why we’re working with partner organisations, especially in the health sector, to ensure a broad and comprehensive offer.

“We’ve listened to the views of children, young people, and families who told us they wanted an easy way to get help – it avoids being passed from one place to another and means they only have to tell their story once.

“The Families Together Gateway is an important step forward – a new way of making requests so that people are helped at an early stage and their needs don’t become more serious. It brings better coordination, a smoother process, and will make a real difference to so many of our families.”

How to Access the Gateway

Families reaching out to the Gateway will be guided towards the most suitable service for their needs.

Professionals working with families can also use the service to make referrals.

Support is available via phone at 01484 456823, through the Families Together Gateway webpage on the Kirklees Council website, or in person at one of four main Families Together centres: Dewsbury Moor Children’s Centre, Birstall and Birkenshaw Children’s Centre, Slaithwaite Town Hall, and the Chestnut Centre in Sheepridge.

For more information, visit: www.kirklees.gov.uk/families-together