More children’s centres at risk of closure
Thursday, June 22, 2017
The future of more than 90 children’s centres across three local authority areas hangs in the balance as councils look to make savings to their budgets.
In Birmingham, the city council is consulting on proposals to reduce its number of children’s centres from 61 to just ten. The consultation is open until 17 August.
As part of a major reorganisation of services, the local authority is proposing to continue providing children’s health and well-being services, including baby clinics, breastfeeding support, stay and play, from 22 children’s centres. However, 12 of these will be ‘hub’ sites and won’t meet the statutory criteria for what constitutes a children’s centres, leaving just ten designated centres remaining.
Services will be delivered by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in partnership in Barnardo’s, Spurgeons, St Paul’s Community Development Trust, and the Springfield Project.
The GMB trade union described the plans are ‘absolutely disgraceful’.
Regional organiser Gillian Ogilvie said, ‘These plans are absolutely disgraceful – and a shocking indictment of austerity Britain.
‘Birmingham City Council needs to do more to stop these devastating closures and listen to the people that need to use these services, rather than just allowing the Government to continue with their agenda.
‘The GMB is calling on the council to try and prevent these closures and demand more money from the Government to ensure vital support for parents and families are provided.’
In Warwickshire, the county council is considering converting 12 of its 39 children’s centres into family hubs in a bid to make savings of £1.1 million from its children’s centre budget from 1 April 2018.
Warwickshire County Council says that with less money, it is important that it targets its remaining resources where they are most needed.
Under its plans, which will be put out for consultation from Monday (26 June), 12 children’s centres in areas of the ‘greatest need’ will be turned into family hubs.
The county council says that this could mean the remaining 27 centres become ‘spokes’ or outreach sites. This would be dependent on the amount of funding available and whether the community or an alternative provider could take on responsibility for the buildings and deliver services required by local families and children.
Other options include delivering services from a number of sites such as libraries or other community buildings.
A petition calling for all of Warwickshire's children’s centres to remain open has attracted 535 signatures.
Another area where the number of children’s centres could be reduced is Medway.
The council, which has £1.6m less a year on early years services, is currently consulting on plans to move from operating 19 children's centres to just four. These remaining centres would be turned into family hubs.
To support the work of the hubs and outreach support services, there are plans to develop ‘satellite sites’ across Medway to provide services tailored to specific needs, for instance parenting groups and youth centres.
The consultation closes on 12 July.
A Facebook group, ‘Save Sure Start Centres in Medway', has been set up by users of the children’s centres campaigning against the closures.
