Posted on Wednesday 10th December 2025
Left to Right: CJ Babayaro (who volunteers at the Shining Starz group), Fiona Glover, (Shining Starz) Lawson with Mum Kate Stroud and Chloe, Haley Gardner, (Shining Starz) & Kerry Heath (Family Hub Manager).
Hundreds of families in Tamworth continue to flourish thanks for the help and support they've received from their local family hub.
The Staffordshire County Council Family Hub in Tamworth, along with their partners, provide a wide range of support and services to families with children aged 0-19yrs and up to 25yrs with special educational needs. This includes practical help for families on things like parenting, infant feeding, health services, housing, financial wellbeing, 0-5 early years activities, advice on childcare entitlements, education and much more.
The Tamworth hub also runs a monthly support group for families with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Shining Starz group, run by volunteers Haley Gardner and Fiona Glover, supports more than 40 children and their families.
Nick Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“Investing in families and helping them to thrive remains a priority for this administration and for the county council.
“Our goal is to create welcoming, inclusive spaces where all families feel supported, valued and empowered. At our family hubs, parents can get vital support along with access to lots of activities and other important local services.
“We want every family, including those with children with SEND, to have a truly positive and lasting experience when visiting our Family Hubs. At the hub in Tamworth, we’re incredibly proud to host the Shining Starz sessions, which continue to have a real positive impact on families lives. The group and volunteers have taken this a step further where families are now supporting each other.”
Haley Gardner from Shining Starz said:
“We’re incredibly proud of how successful the group has become and it’s great that we can host it in the family hub.
“Having a child with SEND myself means I’m very aware of the challenges families face on a daily basis. When we come together to share experiences and solutions, we learn a lot from each other”.
“We hope to develop the group next year even more to include more activities, days out and trips away.”
Staffordshire County Council’s Family Hubs are located across Staffordshire and work in partnership with countywide and local partners, bringing together different services in a one-stop shop to make it easier for families to get information, advice, guidance and support they need.
Further information is available on the Staffordshire Family Hubs webpage.