Children’s Centres and Family Hubs

1. How many children’s centres and family hubs, operated or funded by your council or delivered in your local authority area, were open in 2023/2024. Please provide a break down by a) children’s centres b) family hubs c) centres by another name. If you have this information, please also provide the postcode for each of these centres or hubs.

27 children’s centres

2. Please provide your total budget and spend on children’s centres and/or family hubs in 2023/2024 and budget for 2024/25. If you have this information, please provide a break down by each centre or hub. Please also list the funding sources for your children’s centres and/or family hubs. Where there are partner contributions or co-commissioned services, please specify.

Please see the following Devon County Council webpage for budget information for Children’s Centres and Family Hubs.

Devon County Council does not hold any information of a further budget break down as the Children’s Centre budget was used to pay for a contract to an external provider to deliver Children’s Centres across Devon and they were responsible for the break down of this budget for each Children’s Centre and use of the money.

3. How many children’s centres or family hubs do you expect to be available in your local authority 2024/5?

9 Family Hubs

4. If you have this information, please let us know how many children and families used these centres in the last financial year (2023/24). Please provide a breakdown by each centre, if you have this information. Please also provide a breakdown by the age of the children supported by these centres or hubs using the following categories, if you have this information: 0-4, 5-11, 11+.

Devon County Council does not hold information on how many children were support by children’s centres but can provide information on how many parents used the Children’s Centres.

449 parents Exeter Children’s Centres

407 parents Mid Devon Children’s Centres

684 parents East Devon Children’s Centres

642 parents Newton Abbot and Teignbridge Children’s Centres

370 parents South Hams Children’s Centres

304 parents West Devon Children’s Centres

480 parents Barnstaple Children’s Centres

5. If you have this information, in the text box below, please list which of the following services are offered by children’s centres or family hubs in your local authority area in 2023/24. If the service is provided within the centre, but delivered by an external provider, please specify.

Examples of services might include: health visiting sessions; childcare; parenting or family support; support for mental health, addition, or domestic abuse; pre-natal support; SEND support, support around engagement with school, including attendance; culturally specific support for racially minoritised children and families; activities for different age groups, including 0-4s; 5-11s; over 11s.

Devon County Council does not hold this information as the Children’s Centres were run by an external provider, they leased the buildings from the Council and had separate agreements with partners to deliver services at the centres.

Please see this link for details on support offered at family hubs from Action for Children.

6. Please attach your council’s overarching plan or strategy for children’s centres and/or family hubs in your area.

Please see the Children Centre Changes Consultation Report.

7. Please also attach your Section 251 returns on Sure Start children’s centres and other spend on children under 5-years-old.

Children’s Centre Sure Start spend was a commissioned out service, Action for Children were awarded the tender.