Targeted early help is additional support which can be provided as part of your early help assessment and plan. This does not replace your early help plan but can be offered in addition to support you at a time of need, to help you to achieve your goals.
This additional support might include help with parenting, for example, managing the impact of challenging behaviour to find strategies. Some families may need help to find the right support due to criminal or antisocial behaviour, or where there’s a risk of exploitation.
We recognise that families caring for a child or young person with disabilities and special educational needs sometimes need additional support. We offer opportunities during the school holidays through our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for eligible families, through wraparound childcare and also through our Universal + activities. Parents and carers can apply directly for these for their child or young person – no referral is needed.
We also offer a range of other services aimed at supporting our children, young people with disability and special educational need and their families.
Targeted early help services in Devon
- Children and Family Health Devon
Our partners at Children and Family Health Devon provide a range of services and support, including helpful resources in areas such as:
- Behaviour
- Complex physical health
- Early years developmental delay
- Eating disorder
- Learning disability
- Mental health
- Movement
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Persistent Pain
- Neurodiversity
- Physical disabilities
- Sensory
- Speech, language and communication
- Swallowing difficulties
- Early Years Inclusion Practitioner Team
Devon’s Early Years Inclusion Practitioner Team is a year-round education-based service for children under five with the most severe and complex developmental needs. The service supports children to achieve success using a small-steps, play based, child centred approach. The service works in the home and in community settings with parents and partner agencies to promote inclusive practice and to build confidence and resilience.
The service includes early support advisory teachers (ESATs), team leads and experienced practitioners who support children and families on a range of pathways and offer activities during the holidays to families involved with the service.
Find out more about the Early Years Inclusion Practitioner Team
- Re/Habilitation Officer for Visually Impaired Children (ROVIC) service
Our Re/Habilitation Officer for Visually Impaired Children (ROVIC) service support children and young people with vision and sensory impairment who have a vision impairment, dual sensory impairment (vision and hearing impairments), multisensory impairment (vision, hearing, additional sensory processing and or disabilities) or those with a deafblind impairment.
Find out more about how we can support children with vision and sensory impairment
- Young carers
A young carer is someone under 18 who provides care for another person, unless they are doing so as paid employment or as voluntary work.
- Family Group Conference Team
Family Group Conferences offer a restorative family group conference (FGC) approach that puts extended family and friends’ networks at the centre of planning for their children.
Family Group Conferences are available to children in Devon at all stages of their social care journey. They are available to children receiving support through Targeted Early Help, Child in Need and Child Protection.
To explore family networks, restorative practice, and FGC please refer to the Family Network Handbook
- Family Intervention Team (FIT)
Our Family Intervention Teams (FIT) are part of the county’s Level 3 targeted Early Help services, designed to support families with children aged 0–18 who are experiencing complex challenges. They offer intervention to families with children using a whole family approach involving everyone in the family network who wants to be involved. FIT aims to reduce the need for statutory intervention, improve better outcomes and ensure all children and young people thrive, but also to identify those families where change and improvement are more difficult to achieve and sustain.
Find out more about the Family Intervention Team service – is there any info that’s more relevant for parents?
- Disabled Children’s Teams
Our Disabled Children’s Teams are part of our graduated approach to supporting disabled children, young people, and their families. We support some children with disabilities where there is a need for specialist short breaks or social care support.
Sometimes universal services, even with reasonable adjustments, can’t meet a child or young person’s needs. In these situations, we may assess for targeted short breaks. Although we work with a wide range of needs, we always carefully consider the most appropriate pathway for assessment to make sure children and families receive the right support.
Find out more about short breaks. You might also be interested in our pathways to assessment guidance.
If you are a young person aged 16 or over, a parent or carer of a disabled child, or a professional working with a disabled child or young person and their family, and you are considering requesting support from Children’s Services, you can contact us for a pre-referral and assessment consultation. This gives you the opportunity to talk through your needs, or those of a child or young person, and explore what services and support may be helpful for them and their family.
- Links
Links brings together the expertise of staff within the Youth Intervention Team (crime prevention) and the REACH team (missing children and exploitation) to form an offer of intervention and support to children and young people who may have gone missing from home (any form of home), at risk of being exploited, are involved in increasing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and offending. The team works to increase safety and reduce risk and harm to children, young people, and some young adults outside of the home.
Links can work with children and young people from the age of 10, as well as young adults 18-25 who are care-experienced.
- Devon Youth Justice Service
Devon Youth Justice Services (DYJS) is a multi-agency team which includes relationships with the police, the Courts and justice services, social care and health. They work with children and young people aged 10–18 (and their families or carers) who have committed an offence, or are at risk of committing offences. The teams undertake assessments, provide interventions and support to reduce offending and create safer communities with fewer victims.
- The Y-Project
Y-Smart work with young people up to the age of 18, who have issues around substance use.
They can also support children and young people who need support because of a family member who is or has used substances, through The Y-Project
This services is for primary school-aged children, as well as young people.