It’s an exciting time at Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, as from the 1 April 2025 we have become the new services provider for Children and Family Centres for Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
We were delighted to be joined by the whole team at The Friendship Cafe in Gloucester on the first day of our new contract, where we welcomed them all to the GGT family, and talked about what our future service provision will look like.
Back in 2024 GGT put forward a community-led bid by bringing together a powerful consortium of local schools, community organisations and statutory and specialist partners in every area where the centres operate, called the Gloucestershire Gateway Partnership, promising a ‘whole neighbourhood approach’ to ensure a sustainable, innovative and inclusive community-led service is provided to children and families across these two districts.
Mark Gale, Chief Executive of GGT said: “GGT is continually working towards creating stronger, more resilient and welcoming communities. Our aim is to support, encourage and strengthen neighbourhoods, by raising people’s aspirations and better connecting them with their local area, to ensure that everyone is valued and has the opportunity to influence decisions that impact their lives whilst creating lasting solutions to local challenges.”
“This is an exceptionally positive transition towards the Family Hubs model in Gloucestershire, creating exciting future opportunities and prospects for our children, young people and neighbourhoods.” Mark Gale
We have also developed a strong partnership with Aspire Foundation – a local registered charity with over 20 years of experience – which will support the delivery of Targeted Family Support as part of the contract. This includes early help to identify issues children and families face and offer support to enable families to have a more positive future.