Drop-in sessions organised for Children’s Centre consultation

Devon County Council are currently consulting parents and carers on proposals for how they would like to use our former Children’s Centre buildings in a new network of Family Hubs across Devon.

The Council are running a series of in-person, drop-in sessions throughout June, with Action for Children, to give parents, carers, and young people the opportunity to find out more about the proposals, ask questions, and tell them what you think.

Details of when and where the drop-in sessions are below.

Family Hubs are different and broader in scope than previous Children’s Centres, supporting a wider age range of children and young people, and linking-in with the many existing local groups to offer a wider range of family support.

Where Children’s Centres in Devon have for some years offered support to families of children aged zero to eight years-old, referred to them by a GP or other professional, the new Family Hubs will offer targeted and universal support to all families of children aged from zero to 19, or up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs or disabilities.

Support available from Family Hubs will be accessible to all families with children in that age range, rather than via a third-party referral. And 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.

The proposals describe ten main Family Hub centres across the county, at least one in every District council area.  These would be bases from which families can access the wider range of support that Family Hubs offer, with meeting rooms, space for groups to use, and for staff to meet and train.

In addition to the main hubs, there would be wide number of outreach hub spaces in local communities, using buildings such as schools, libraries, community hospitals and community centres, for families to access services closer to home, in trusted spaces they already know.

Much of the work currently offered by Children’s Centres is done in families’ own homes or by using community venues nearby, so the proposed outreach Family Hub spaces is already a familiar model for many families.

The move from Children’s Centres to Family Hubs is a national one, with the government announcing the transition in 2021. Local councils across the country have since been making the transition, with our County Councillors agreeing last year to the development of Family Hubs in Devon.

We have been engaging with families who have been using Devon’s children’s centres, to give us a better understanding of how families use them, and what they value most from them.

The national drive is for Family Hubs to provide increased and improved access to community services such as maternity services; midwifery and health visiting; statutory, voluntary and community services; as well as some services not traditionally associated with early years, such as Department for Work and Pensions, and registration services. 

Please see the full list of sessions and dates

• Monday 10 June from 10am to 11.30am, Torrington Hub, EX36 7NU
• Monday 10 June from 2pm to 4pm, Chestnut Hub, EX2 6DJ
• Tuesday 11 June from 9am to 10am, Yeo Valley Hub, EX32 7DU
• Tuesday 11 June from 11.30am to 12.45pm (includes lunch), Sticklepath Hub, EX31 2HH
• Tuesday 11 June from 3pm to 4pm, Forches Hub, EX32 8EF
• Wednesday 12 June from 10am to 11am, Hatherleigh Hub, EX20 3HB
• Wednesday 12 June from 1.30pm to 2.30pm, Tavistock Hub, PL19 9FD
• Tuesday 18 June from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Exmouth Hub, EX8 3QW
• Tuesday 25 June from 9am to 11am, Teignbridge Hub, TQ12 1TX
• Tuesday 25 June from 2pm to 3.30pm, South Hams Hub, TQ9 5TX
• Friday 28 June 10am to 11.30am, Holsworthy Hub, EX22 6EX

The consultation is running until midnight on Wednesday 3 July. To find out more information and take part in the consultation please visit our Have Your Say website and fill in the online survey.