Friday 16 August 2024
Well done to everyone who received their A-Level, T-Level and AS-Level results this week.
Completing your course(s) is a big achievement and regardless of the results, no doubt you're already thinking about your next step.
Whether your results are better than you thought or not quite what you were hoping for, Employment Hubs in Devon welcome anyone looking for support or advice on what to do next.
The Hubs can help you to find out about different learning opportunities, career options and jobs, so that you can move forward on your employment, learning or skills journey with confidence.
For more information and to find your nearest hub visit our website.
We have a list of helpful online resources to help people receiving their A-Level and GCSE results in the full story on our news page.
While Devon has long been a popular destination for tourists during the summer holidays, it’s now also becoming a hotspot for visitors on a “workcation”.
Devon’s Work Hubs are reporting that they are being used more regularly by visitors looking for a place to work in order to extend their stay in the county.
Devon boasts two National Parks, five National Landscapes, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the UNESCO designated North Devon Biosphere Reserve and countless attractions, it seems that work hubs are also an important asset for some visitors.
Our Tavistock Enterprise Hub, and the Generator Hub in Exeter, are two such work hubs that are seeing a rise in workcations. The opportunity to work a little bit while on a family holiday has many benefits.
"I get to have a break and get some work done, and I don't need to take a whole week of annual leave to come down and enjoy Devon," says Ben who works at Grant Thornton UK LLP.
You can read more about this growing trend in the full story on our news page.
 Councillors agree the structure of the new Family Hubs network
Councillors have given the green light to proposals setting out what Devon's new Family Hub network of services will look like.
Much of it will use former Children's Centre buildings that families are already familiar with, as well as additional locations in local communities.
Councillors agreed to proposals for there to be nine main Family Hubs, 14 outreach spaces, and potentially 15 additional outreach sites (yet to be identified) to provide support to the Family Hubs network.
Councillors were also asked to consider what happens next March when the current contract with Action for Children, which has been running Children's Centres on our behalf for years, comes to an end.
The options were to let the contract expire and stop the plans to develop Family Hubs; to re-tender the contract inviting other service providers, including Action for Children, to bid for the new contract; or to take the delivery of the service in-house, with relevant Action for Children staff involved with the current services potentially transferring to the council, for continuity.
Councillors chose the latter, partly because it will allow the council greater opportunity to provide a comprehensive range of support to families, alongside partners and local community groups.
Read the full story on our news page.
 The buildings we don't use as Family Hubs will still continue to be used to support families
Family Hubs - What can I expect in the future?
The decision for us to develop Children's Centres into Family Hubs was taken last year, and since then, we and Action for Children have been making the transition from one to the other.
The big differences, and what will benefit all families in Devon, are:
- Family Hubs are open to everyone! Unlike Children's Centres, Family Hubs don't require people to be referred to them by professionals. They'll work with communities to provide a range of information and guidance to all, as well as linking with targeted support for young people and their families who need particular support
- Family Hubs offer support to all families of children aged zero to 19, or up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs or disabilities, whereas Children's Centres used to support families of children aged zero to eight years old
- Family Hubs will bring together and consist of existing care and support providers in local communities, so there will be a wider range of help and advice available to families
We plan to use a lot of the former Children's Centre buildings as Family Hubs, but those that we don't use for that purpose will continue to be used to provide family support, such as childcare, and services that support families for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The decision taken this week to not re-tender the delivery contract when the current one expires, and instead to take the delivery of Family Hubs in-house, means that we and Action for Children will be talking to each other to bring staff who deliver the current services, into the council, with the aim that they would continue to deliver the new Family Hub services.
 Local shopkeepers urged to ‘ask for ID’ after trader is prosecuted
We’re urging shopkeepers not to put their livelihood at risk by not asking for ID when selling age-restricted goods such as vapes, tobacco and alcohol.
The warning follows the prosecution of a shopkeeper who has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 after being caught selling vapes to a 15-year-old girl.
The girl was in fact a volunteer in a test purchasing exercise on behalf of the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service.
The court heard that the shopkeeper had every opportunity to ask the girl for ID, but hadn't.
The Chair of the Bench said it was ‘a concerning case’ and that the protection and welfare of young people was paramount.
You can read more in the story on our news page.
Staff at our Household Waste Recycling Centre in Ivybridge have been working closely with a local charity to help families affected by the war in Ukraine.
The facility is operated on our behalf by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and, in a show of community support, they have been collecting and reusing items which are then distributed to families in need.
Staff have been carefully sifting through items that come in to ensure that only those in the best condition are set aside for distribution.
So far thousands of items like disability equipment, walking frames, walking sticks, crutches, and sleeping bags, as well as camp beds, warm coats and boots have been sorted and repurposed ready to be packaged and distributed to individuals and families who have been displaced by the conflict.
Read more in the story on our news page.
Councillors have endorsed the latest Devon Youth Justice Service Annual Plan.
It outlines how youth justice services are delivered, and what the priorities for the service are this coming year.
It also describes how services aim to prevent offending behaviour and reduce re-offending rates.
"The central aim of this year's plan is to continue to focus on preventing children at risk from entering the formal justice system," said Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Schools.
You can read more in the story on our news page.
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