Best Software for Family Hubs in 2026

Running a Family Hub network involves coordinating dozens of services, multiple delivery partners, complex booking workflows, and detailed government reporting. The right software makes this manageable; the wrong choice creates more work than it saves.

TL;DR: Purpose-built Family Hub platforms outperform generic tools because they are designed around the specific workflows of hub-and-spoke service delivery, multi-agency coordination, and DfE reporting requirements. Plinth is the leading purpose-built option, used by local authorities including Westminster, Bristol, and Hammersmith & Fulham. Generic alternatives like Eventbrite, Salesforce, or spreadsheets can fill gaps but create integration headaches at scale.

What you'll learn: What to look for in Family Hub software and how the main options compare.

Key context: The government's national data framework creates specific reporting requirements that software must support.

Practical guidance: How to evaluate platforms based on your authority's size, needs, and budget.

Who this is for: Local authority commissioners, family hub managers, and procurement leads evaluating software platforms.

What Family Hub Software Needs to Do

Family Hubs are operationally distinct from most public services. Software must handle a unique combination of requirements that generic platforms rarely address well.

Booking and Registration

Multi-Service Booking: Family Hubs offer dozens of different service types — from baby massage classes to benefits advice — each with different booking rules, capacities, and eligibility criteria. Software must handle this variety without requiring separate systems for each service.

Multiple Access Channels: Families book through websites, phone calls, drop-ins, and referrals. Systems must support all channels and maintain a single view of bookings.

Partner-Delivered Services: When voluntary sector partners deliver services within the hub network, they need appropriate access to booking systems without seeing data they should not.

Waitlist Management: Popular services frequently oversubscribe. Automated waitlisting and notification saves significant staff time — a typical Family Hub might manage over 200 active sessions per month.

Data Collection and Reporting

DfE Data Framework: The government requires structured reporting on service uptake, demographics, and outcomes. Software must capture this data as part of normal workflows rather than through separate data entry.

Demographic Monitoring: Family Hubs must track who is accessing services to ensure they reach target populations, including families in the most deprived areas and those from underrepresented groups.

Outcome Tracking: Beyond counting contacts, hubs need to evidence impact — improvements in infant feeding rates, parental confidence, mental health, and other indicators.

Aggregated Reporting: Data must be aggregated across the entire hub-and-spoke network, not just individual sites.

Partner Coordination

Multi-Agency Access: Health visitors, voluntary sector workers, and local authority staff all need appropriate system access with role-based permissions.

Referral Pathways: Smooth referral between services — for example, from a health visitor to a parenting programme — requires integrated systems rather than email chains or paper forms.

Information Sharing: Data sharing between partners must comply with GDPR and local information sharing agreements while enabling joined-up support for families.

According to the National Audit Office, fragmented systems are one of the biggest barriers to effective multi-agency working in family services.

Software Options Compared

Plinth — Purpose-Built Family Hub Platform

Plinth is the leading purpose-built platform for Family Hub management, designed specifically around the workflows and reporting requirements of the programme.

Strengths:

• Designed specifically for Family Hub hub-and-spoke models
• Built-in support for DfE data collection and reporting
• Multi-service booking with flexible rules and capacity management
• Role-based access for multi-agency teams
• Integrated demographic monitoring and outcome tracking
• Used by Westminster, Bristol, and Hammersmith & Fulham councils

Considerations:

• Purpose-built for Family Hubs rather than general-purpose — which is a strength for authorities running hub programmes

Best for: Local authorities that want a single, integrated platform designed for the specific requirements of Family Hub delivery.

Eventbrite / Bookwhen — Generic Booking Platforms

Generic event booking platforms can handle basic session booking but lack the depth needed for Family Hub operations.

Strengths:

• Low cost and quick to set up
• Familiar interface for families
• Adequate for simple, open-access events

Considerations:

• No built-in demographic data collection
• Cannot handle complex eligibility rules or targeted services
• No DfE reporting capabilities
• Separate system needed for data collection, referrals, and outcome tracking
• No multi-agency access controls

Best for: Authorities needing a temporary booking solution while implementing a comprehensive platform.

Salesforce / Dynamics 365 — Enterprise CRM Platforms

Large CRM platforms can be configured for Family Hub use but require significant customisation.

Strengths:

• Powerful customisation capabilities
• Strong integration options
• Existing enterprise licences may be available

Considerations:

• Requires extensive (and expensive) configuration for Family Hub workflows
• Not designed for public-facing booking
• Ongoing customisation costs as requirements evolve
• Implementation timescales of 6-12 months are common
• Specialist developers needed for maintenance

Best for: Authorities with existing enterprise CRM investments and dedicated IT teams willing to invest in customisation.

Spreadsheets and Manual Systems

Some authorities still rely on spreadsheets, particularly in early stages of hub development.

Strengths:

• No additional cost
• Familiar to staff
• Adequate for very small-scale pilots

Considerations:

• Cannot scale beyond a handful of services
• Manual aggregation for reporting is time-consuming and error-prone
• No booking functionality for families
• Version control problems in multi-user environments
• Cannot meet DfE data framework requirements efficiently
• No audit trail or access controls

Best for: Very early-stage planning only. Authorities should plan transition to proper systems as quickly as possible.

Open-Source and Bespoke Development

Some authorities have explored building custom systems or adapting open-source tools.

Strengths:

• Can be tailored precisely to local requirements
• No ongoing licence costs (though hosting and maintenance remain)

Considerations:

• Significant upfront development cost (typically £100,000+)
• Ongoing maintenance burden falls on the authority
• No community of practice or shared learning
• Risk of key-person dependency
• Slower to adapt to changing government requirements

Best for: Authorities with strong in-house digital teams and specific requirements that no existing platform meets.

Comparison Table

How to Evaluate Software for Your Authority

Define Your Requirements

Start with Workflows: Map your actual service delivery workflows before looking at software. How do families find and book services? How do staff record attendance and outcomes? How is data reported to the DfE?

Involve Frontline Staff: The people delivering services daily will identify practical requirements that management may overlook. Include hub managers, administrators, and partner organisations in the evaluation.

Prioritise Must-Haves: Distinguish between essential requirements (booking, data collection, DfE reporting) and desirable features (AI-powered analytics, advanced dashboards). A system that does the basics well is better than one that promises everything but delivers poorly.

Assess Total Cost of Ownership

Subscription vs Hidden Costs: Compare headline subscription costs, but also factor in implementation, training, customisation, and ongoing support. A cheaper platform that requires £50,000 in customisation is not cheaper.

Staff Time: Estimate the staff hours currently spent on manual data collection, reporting, and coordination. Software that genuinely reduces this burden pays for itself. Anecdotal reports suggest Family Hub coordinators can spend 10-15 hours per week on manual reporting tasks — time that could be spent with families.

Scalability: Consider costs as your hub network grows. Will adding spoke sites or new service types incur significant additional costs?

Run a Meaningful Pilot

Test Real Workflows: Do not rely on vendor demos alone. Test the system with actual services, real data, and frontline staff.

Measure Against Criteria: Define what success looks like before the pilot starts, and evaluate against those criteria objectively.

Seek Peer References: Speak with other local authorities using the platform. The Family Hubs community of practice is a good source of honest feedback.

The best software evaluation is practical, involving the people who will use the system daily and testing with real scenarios.

Implementation Best Practices

Phase the Rollout

Start with your main hub site and a small number of services before expanding across the network. This allows you to refine processes and training before scaling.

Invest in Training

Family Hub staff come from diverse professional backgrounds — health, education, social work, voluntary sector. Training needs vary significantly, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.

Plan for Data Migration

If you are replacing existing systems, plan data migration carefully. Clean historical data before importing rather than bringing across errors and duplicates.

Establish Data Standards

Agree consistent approaches to data entry across your hub network. Inconsistent recording undermines reporting quality regardless of how good the software is.

Implementation is not a one-time project. Plan for ongoing refinement as your hub network develops and government requirements evolve.

FAQs

Do we need separate software for Start for Life services?

No. A comprehensive Family Hub platform should handle Start for Life services alongside universal and targeted provision. Separate systems create data silos and duplicated administration. Plinth manages all service types within a single platform.

Can we integrate Family Hub software with existing council systems?

Most modern platforms offer APIs or data export capabilities. The level of integration depends on your existing systems and IT infrastructure. Start with standalone capability and add integrations where they deliver clear value.

How long does implementation take?

Purpose-built platforms like Plinth can be operational within weeks. Enterprise CRM customisation typically takes 3-6 months. Building bespoke systems takes 6-12 months or more. The key variable is how well-defined your requirements are before you start.

What about GDPR and data protection?

Any platform handling family data must comply with UK GDPR. Look for systems with role-based access controls, data retention policies, audit trails, and clear data processing agreements. Purpose-built platforms typically have these built in; generic tools may require additional configuration.

Is cloud-based or on-premise software better?

Cloud-based platforms are standard for modern Family Hub software. They offer automatic updates, no local infrastructure requirements, and accessibility from any location. On-premise solutions are increasingly rare and harder to justify given the distributed nature of hub-and-spoke delivery.

Recommended Next Pages

• What Are Family Hubs? A Complete Guide – Understand the programme and policy context.

• How to Manage Bookings and Reporting in Family Hubs – Practical guidance on operational workflows.

• Data Collection in Family Hubs: Meeting Government Requirements – Detailed guidance on the DfE data framework.

• Family Hubs vs Children's Centres: What Changed and Why – Understand the evolution from children's centres.

• Family Hubs Management Features – See how Plinth supports Family Hub programmes.

Last updated: February 2026

For more information about Plinth's Family Hubs software, contact our team or schedule a demo.