Children’s centres – changes following consultation

Children’s centres in Prestwich and Radcliffe are set to be retained following public consultation on the future of the wider service.

Existing centres at Butterstile and Stepping Stones will no longer be converted into nurseries, if proposals to be presented to next Wednesday’s (21 Jan) cabinet are accepted.

Councillor Gill Campbell, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “Our original plans aimed to focus provision on the most needy and disadvantaged children and families, and this is still very much our aim.

“However, the consultation process showed that there was real concern in some areas that the remaining children’s centres would be too far away from communities.

“As a result, we are now proposing that Butterstile and Stepping Stones will become ‘spoke’ centres, which means they will continue to provide at least some of the services currently being provided there.”

A wide range of meetings took place during the consultation period and there were 359 responses to the online questionnaire and survey. 

The report to cabinet will say that, in general, children’s centres should work in a more targeted way than previously. They will work to improve the health and school readiness of under-5s, improve families’ economic prospects, and provide early help for families at risk of needing more formal help in future.

Cllr Campbell said: “As resources for children’s centres continue to reduce due to government funding reductions, the risk to vulnerable families gets greater. It’s only fair that we put the needs of the most vulnerable first.”

Five children’s centre hubs will be created: Besses (covering Whitefield), Coronation Road (Radcliffe), Little Oaks (Bury East), Sedgley (Prestwich), and Woodbank with Elton (Bury West, Tottington and Ramsbottom).

Funding will be allocated to these hubs based upon the number of under-5s who are classed as living in deprived areas. There will be three ‘spoke’ centres: Butterstile, Stepping Stones, and Redvales in Bury East. Both the hubs and ‘spokes’ will be directly managed by the council.

Bury’s five remaining children’s centres – Daisyfield, High Meadow, Moorside, Ramsbottom and Toodle Hill - will be converted into nurseries to ensure that there are enough places for two-year-old children who are now entitled to a nursery place. There is an estimated shortfall of 500 places across the borough.

While the council would not run these directly, at four of the sites (where the centre is part of the school building – not Ramsbottom) the schools will be encouraged to convert to being 2-11 year old providers so that they can take on two-year-olds. If successful, it means the council will no longer have to go out to tender for nursery providers.

Cllr Campbell added: “We also recognise that some universal provision will need to be offered through children’s centres to help identify families in need of support. 

“In many cases, this will be facilitated and delivered through partners including GPs and health providers, adult learning providers, job seekers support, housing support and financial advice, who we will be working closely with.”

If the report to cabinet is agreed, there will be a period of consultation with children’s centre employees and discussion with relevant schools about the decommissioning of provision and the development of the two-year-old offer.

ENDS

Press release issued: 14 January 2015.