Introduction

Family hubs help families in Devon, work with children up to age 19 (25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or care experienced or both) and their families, to build strong, healthy, and happy lives by enabling access to a network of community-centred support or services to promote emotional, social, physical, and financial wellbeing.

Together we are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive approach for all families in Devon, ensuring they have access to the resources and help they need, when they need it, to enable them to thrive.

Overview

We have transitioned from a children centre model to a new family hubs offer aimed at providing increased support to families. Our journey has involved moving from a reliance on a building-based model to a more community-focused and digital approach, ensuring families can access support within their local communities and in ways that are flexible.

We aim to provide a seamless pathway of support, from universal services to targeted early help, ensuring families receive the right help at the earliest opportunity.

The family hub offer is underpinned by multi-agency collaboration. We bring together our partnership of services including children services, health, education, and voluntary and community sectors, to provide a holistic support system for families. ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’ unites early years and family services to improve child development through early intervention.

A new Best Start Family Service will integrate parenting, health, and education support. Best Start Family Hubs will build on Sure Start and family hubs models to provide accessible, joined-up support for babies, children, and families.

This includes support for families with children with SEND by facilitating, and offering access to, local opportunities and activities already happening in communities for disabled children and young people. Access to mental health support, or those experiencing parental conflict, and will contribute towards the ‘Best Start for Life programme.

We have learnt much over the past few years so continue to retain key elements of our early help offer, such as locality triage, pregnancy support pathway meetings, locality partnership meetings, practitioner forums, and the Parental Conflict Programme.

Continual consultation and development

We will engage in continual consultation with families to ensure that our services are responsive and effective. This includes developing young people and parental involvement in shaping the support they receive.

By working closely with families, we aim to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes the well-being of all families in Devon.