Early Help Information

What is Early Help?

Early Help is an integral part of everyone’s role.

It is the initial response offered by all services in contact with children, young people and families when they need extra support to thrive.

It is not a specific service or team. It’s an approach to working that brings together people from a range of different services and teams who will work with the whole family to help improve things for everyone.

The aim is to identify and build on a family’s strengths to help them resolve their own difficulties and support them to develop skills to prevent further problems and better manage any future challenges.

Early Help is the support that families access from Universal Level 2 to Targeted Level 3. Universal Level 2 can be accessed through our Family Hubs with Targeted Level 3 through Devon’s Front Door.

The Principles of Early Help

• Always do something – at the very least, talk to another practitioner to explore a way forward.
• If you think a family needs help, you need to act quickly before the situation or problem worsens.
• If a family approaches you for help, you need to respond promptly and begin to assess their need and identify how support should be provided.
• A family must give their consent for Early Help before information can be shared across agencies via the Right for Children system.
• Conversations, meetings, assessments and plans should be purposeful and lead to actions to improve outcomes for the family.
• The family are central to the Early Help process and should be involved throughout the assessment, plan and subsequent reviews.
• All communication and decision making should be shared, both with the other practitioners involved and with the family. Nobody should be working in isolation.
• If the Team Around the Family require signposting, advice, small amounts of funding once the assessment is complete, then please complete the Early Help Triage Request form and send to the Early Help & Partnership Mailbox
• Once a family’s situation has improved and been sustained for an agreed period, support services should reduce or end to enable the family to be independent.
• If Early Help isn’t working, conversations may become challenging. If an agreement cannot be reached, practitioners should refer to the dispute resolution process and seek support from their own agency.

What are Family Hubs

Family Hubs are here to help families across Devon build strong, healthy and happy lives. We support children and young people from birth to age 19 (or up to age 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or care experience) by connecting families to local services that support their emotional, physical, social and financial wellbeing.

We also support families of children with SEND, helping them access local activities, services and opportunities. Families can receive support with mental health and managing parental conflict as part of the national Best Start for Life Programme.

Who Family Hubs Are For

Family Hubs are for everyone in Devon.

Our services are available to:

• Parents and carers expecting a baby
• Families with children and young people aged 0-19
• Young people
• Parents and carers of young people with SEND up to age 25
• Grandparents, carers and extended family members supporting a child

Requesting Support

Both parents/carers and professionals can complete a simple Request for Support Form. Submit a family hubs support request – Children, families and education

If you are completing a request as a professional, please ensure you have parental consent and that parents are aware the referral is being made.

Following a request, a Family Hub practitioner will contact the parent/carer to discuss their needs and identify appropriate support.

Where appropriate, we can offer a Single Session Intervention, which is a one-hour face-to-face, Microsoft Teams or telephone appointment to explore concerns in more depth and provide tailored support and guidance.

Advice and Guidance Line

We also offer a dedicated Advice and Guidance Line for parents, carers and professionals.

📞 0800 538 5458
🕙 Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 4.00pm

Let’s Talk, Read and Play (for 2-3 year olds)

We offer support for children experiencing speech, language and communication delays or difficulties through our “Let’s Talk, Read and Play” programme.

If you know a family with a child aged 2 to 3 years who may benefit from additional support, please signpost them to us or complete a request for support with parental consent.

Families and professionals can contact Family Hubs via:

Contact Family Hubs:

Submit a family hubs support request – Children, families and education
The service provides advice, guidance and support on a range of family issues. Please note this is not a crisis or emergency helpline.

Connecting Moments SEND Parent Peer Support Group

We also offer Connecting Moments, an online peer support group for parents and carers of children and young people with SEND. The group provides a friendly and supportive space for families to connect with others who have shared experiences, exchange ideas and practical advice, and build valuable peer support networks.

Connecting Moments takes place online on the last Tuesday of every month at 12 noon.

Parents and carers are welcome to join to meet other families, share experiences, learn from one another and access information about local support and opportunities.

Parents can request this by completing the online request for support form Submit a family hubs support request – Children, families and education

NEW!!! Free EasyPeasy Parenting App (for parents of children 0-5 years)

We are also pleased to promote the EasyPeasy App, which is now available free of charge for parents of young children 0-5 in Devon.

EasyPeasy helps transform everyday parenting moments into playful learning experiences and provides advice, practical activities and inspiration to support a child’s early development.

The app includes information, activities, and tips on:

• Wellbeing
• Bedtime and sleep
• Nutrition
• SEND
• Speech and language development
• Mindfulness

Parents can access the app by scanning the QR code on the attached poster or by visiting: Join EasyPeasy

Togetherness Parenting Groups

Our Togetherness Parenting Groups support parents and carers of children aged 6 months to 5 years.

The programme covers:

• Understanding children’s feelings and emotions
• The importance of play
• Effective communication
• Children’s developmental needs
• Managing challenging behaviour
• Sleep and bedtime routines
• Building confidence in parenting

Togetherness provides a welcoming space where parents can gain practical strategies, share experiences and build supportive connections with other families.

Please choose “Parenting Togetherness” on the request for support form. Submit a family hubs support request – Children, families and education

Working in Partnership

We value the important role that schools, nurseries and early years providers play in supporting children and families.

If you would like to learn more about Family Hubs or explore opportunities to work collaboratively, we would be delighted to visit your setting or arrange a Microsoft Teams meeting to discuss how we can work together to support families in your community.

How to make a request for DCC Targeted Level 3 support

For Targeted Level 3 support from a Family Intervention Worker or a Links Practitioner, you should complete the Request for support online form. An Early Help Assessment and Plan must already be in place before level 3 support can be requested.

You can read the Levels of Need tool and indicators, or find out more about the new Request for support form and helpful hints on completing a request.

The government is replacing the HSF with a new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CaRF) from 1 April 2026.

The CaRF will focus on providing crisis support to people in financial shock where there is ‘a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income’; and where right to do so will offer additional housing and wraparound support; helping households achieve a more stable financial footing.

Plans for implementing the new CaRF are currently being developed in partnership with Devon district councils and voluntary and community sector partners. Related content on our pages will be updated once plans for implementing CaRF in Devon have been finalised by DCC’s Cabinet.

Further Information at Crisis and Resilience Fund: Guidance for local authorities in England.

Crisis and Resilience Fund | North Devon Council

Crisis and Resilience Fund | Torridge District Council

The new Crisis & Resilience Fund, and heating oil support – MIDDEVON.GOV.UK

Crisis and Resilience Fund | South Hams District Council

Crisis and Resilience Fund | West Devon Borough Council

Crisis and resilience fund – Teignbridge District Council

Crisis and Resilience Fund – Exeter City Council

Crisis and Resilience Fund (CaRF) – East Devon

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