At a Glance…
Peopletoo were commissioned by Torbay Council to lead the co-production of a partnership Early Help Model for Torbay.
The Challenge
An earlier review had identified that whilst there were a range of early help resources across the Bay, they were not sufficiently joined up or co-ordinated to be able to have a real impact on the rising levels of demand for Children’s Social Care. This work was also part of Torbay’s improvement journey to transform its Children’s Services from its starting position of “Inadequate”, with significantly higher volume of demand coming into the “front door” than its comparator authorities.
Our Approach & Delivery
Our work centred on building strong partnerships and shaping a new collaborative model for delivering Early Help. We led the implementation of this model, achieving a range of key deliverables. These included the development of an Early Help Framework with clearly defined, yet flexible, service pathways, and the establishment of three Locality Networks to bring together partners across sectors with a focus on local priorities. A shared understanding of effective Early Help was developed among a wide range of partners, alongside the introduction of a Community Connector role, designed to utilise local strengths and reduce unnecessary referrals through a social prescribing approach. We also co-produced a new approach to Early Help Assessment, delivered comprehensive multi-agency training, and piloted the Torbay Promise – a programme supporting families with newborns in high-need areas.
To support long-term sustainability and quality, we developed core infrastructure including a Workforce Development Strategy, an Outcomes Framework, and a Quality Assurance Framework. Our transformation approach began with an in-depth diagnostic of the current Early Help landscape in Torbay, mapping services across sectors to understand their priorities, readiness for change, and potential contributions to the new model. We invested heavily in relationship-building, fostering a shared vision and addressing misconceptions between partners. This culminated in the launch of a Strategic Early Help Board to ensure clear governance and visibility, and the co-production of a Bay-wide Early Help Model, designed to strengthen partnerships, improve integration, and deliver better outcomes for children and families, particularly in the crucial first 1001 days of a child’s life.
Outcomes Achieved
Fundamental to our approach was the development of a Family/Early Help Hub Network. We supported Torbay to become a Family Hub Trailblazer, and in baselining their starting position in respect of the government’s Family Hub criteria. The model that we developed was a Hub and Spoke model, which involved using the existing Children’s Centre model, but was complemented by extensive engagement with the Voluntary and Community Sector to identify a wide variety of dynamic, existing community assets that families also knew and trusted. This also enabled the model to reflect the diverse nature of Torbay’s geography and the individuality of the three main towns, and the fact that pockets of deprivation can be found at a very local level. We were proud to have played a part in Torbay’s improvement journey from “Inadequate” to “Good”.
