Devon Family Hubs

Family Hubs are a new way of bringing together all the support a family may need. They offer a welcoming environment and serve as a central point of access for all families, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) up to age 25.

TRANSITION TO NEW FAMILY HUBS SERVICE FOR DEVON

From 1 April 2025, the Family Hubs service for Devon will be transitioning to a new service which will provide increased, targeted help to support families in the community.

Last year, Devon County Council announced that like many authorities across the country, it would follow Government guidance in developing the previous Children's Centres into Family Hubs which provided open access to all families without the need for referrals.

Since then, the council has conducted consultations with families, to gauge opinion and develop a plan which will now see support for families provided in village halls, community centres, and other existing places that parents and carers will already be familiar with in their local communities.

The purpose behind Family Hubs is to provide support to families with children from 0 to 19, or to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The help families receive is to prevent them from needing more targeted help later on.

"Why should a parent with a young child or children, who might rely on public transport to get around, have to travel miles to their nearest Children's Centre building in order to get the help his or her family needs? Providing support to families, in their communities, at the right time can prevent them from needing more targeted support in future. I wish to thank Action for Children for their dedication and contribution to Children’s Services over the last 20 years” says Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, the Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for children's services.

From April, families will begin to see a new community-focused service developing that will continue to improve access to support, bringing together education, public health, NHS, early years, community and voluntary sector groups. Parents will be directed to them in settings closer to home in their own communities.

Some group sessions that are currently delivered in Family Hub locations will change, with families who have complex needs being referred to other community-based services through the new system from April.

Devon County Council would sincerely like to thank Action for Children for all their hard work and contribution to the running of Devon’s Children’s Centres and the Family Hubs for the last 20 years.