Wednesday 24 April 2024
Exciting things are happening in Devon to improve support for families with children.
Children's Centres have been operating in Devon for many years, and since 2018 they've provided targeted support to families with children aged zero to eight years old, who have specified levels of need. Families' needs were assessed, and if they met the criteria, they could be referred for help and support from their nearest Children's Centre.
But that's changing, with a decision that our councillors took last year following national guidance to expand the range of support to families, and to develop a network of Family Hubs and associated outreach services.
The charity, Action for Children, has been managing Children's Centres in Devon on our behalf, and is now helping us prepare for this change to Family Hubs.
 What's the difference between Children's Centres and Family Hubs?
The main changes are:
- Family Hubs will provide help and support to families of children aged from zero to 19, or up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs or disabilities
- the support available from Family Hubs will be accessible to all families with children in that age range. There will be no assessment or eligibility criteria, and no need to be referred by a professional
- Family Hubs will work more closely with existing care and support providers in local communities, so there will be a wider range of help and advice available to families
You can see the range of services that we envisage being part of our Family Hubs network on our website.
 What's happened so far?
Our councillors took a decision last year, following national guidance, to expand the range of support that is currently available to families in Devon, and for that support to be available to more families. The decision has allowed us to plan for a network of Family Hubs and associated outreach services.
But to do that, we've wanted to hear first from parents and carers who use our current Children's Centres.
Over recent months, we’ve been talking to families who use our Children's Centres to get a better understanding about what they want and how they get help and advice.
We'd like to thank the hundreds of people who have responded to our engagement events and online questionnaire, because we have now got a stronger idea about how Family Hubs can help meet families' needs in Devon.
 What's happening now?
From this month, families will begin to see a gradual change as Family Hubs and the services they deliver will start to become more present in local communities.
Families of children aged zero to 19 years old, or up to aged 25 years old for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, can now access help and support from us. There are no eligibility criteria, other than the age of the child, and no requirement for families to be referred for support.
The next step will be to decide where the support can be accessed, but for now we are asking families to ring ahead to speak to one of the Action for Children team for advice and support, or complete an online form requesting that a member of Action for Children's staff contact them.
The online form for families to request contact with Action for Children is available on their Devon Family Hubs website.
The telephone numbers for families to contact Action for Children are:
- Teignbridge Family Hub – 01626 354657
- West Devon Family Hub – 01822 614210
- South Hams Family Hub – 01803 847626
- Exeter Family Hub – 01392 277205
- East Devon Family Hub – 01395 226789
- Mid Devon Family Hub – 01884 250449
- Torridge Family Hub – 03300 415494
- Barnstaple Family Hub – 03300 415493
- Ilfracombe Family Hub – 03300 415493
If you have any comments or concerns, please contact Devon County Council by emailing childrenscommissioningsecure-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
We thank all families for their patience and understanding while we develop the new Family Hub services, and we look forward to welcoming new families who are now able to access Family Hub support.
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