A presentation will be given at the meeting.
Minutes:
Councillor Gill Campbell, Cabinet Member of Children and Young People and Ian Chambers , Assistant Director of Learning, gave a presentation on the proposed new delivery model for Children Centres in Bury.
The meeting was informed of the key objectives for Bury Children Centres:-
1. To improve health for under 5’s – measured by higher rates of breast feeding, reduced obesity and improved dental hygiene.
2. To improve child development – measured by improved school readiness and an increasing proportion of children achieving a good level of development.
3. Reducing the risk of mistreatment or abuse of under 5’s – measured by
reductions in the rate of family needs escalating to a level requiring family intervention.
4. Improving families’ economic prospects measured by reduced numbers of under 5’s in households on benefits.
It was reported that these objectives will be used to drive resource allocation to specific centre activities. The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) rankings will be used to directly allocate overall resources – funding being directly linked to deprivation. The driver will be the number of children within a reach area for a Children Centre who are under 5 and living in a Lower Super Output Area. These are among the 40% most deprived nationally.
The presentation provided detailed information of the targeted support on offer as part of the objectives in relation to health, school readiness, Early Help and job readiness. Specific detail was also provided in relation to the proposed Children Centre Hubs across Bury. The meeting was informed as to how each Hub would work, the staffing changes involved, outreach deployment and of the necessary steps required in order to convert the other sites in order to deliver the 2 year old offer in Bury. It was reported that from September 2014, 40% of 2 year olds should have access to free nursery places (a total of 1177 children in Bury). There was a current forecast of a shortage of 638 places (October 2014). The Council propose that Children Centres which are no longer required as Hubs will be offered as centres for the 2 year old offer.
In relation to service costs it was reported that total expenditure on Children’s Centres in 2013/14 was £2.875m. The Council had seen a reduction of the Government’s Early Intervention Grant of over £2.8m since 2012/13 and that the new proposed model of delivery will cost £1.949m which will deliver a proposed savings target for the service of £820k. The consultation period had been extended to 15 December, 2014 and following an analysis of feedback received and subsequent consideration by Cabinet, implementation of the proposals would begin from 1 April, 2015.
Questions and comments were invited from those present at the meeting and the following issues were raised:
· Sian Crosby expressed concerns that the proposals would mean a reduction in preventative work which will have the result of increasing future overall costs. Further concerns were raised in relation to Prestwich losing 2 of 3 buildings; a halving of current staffing levels; and the fact that Prestwich will have less outreach staff than other areas.
· In response to questions concerning the 2 year old offer, the Assistant Director of Learning reported that discussions were taking place with schools as well as the private and voluntary sector.
· Heather Kerr stated that the consultation document was not fit for purpose and lacked information on community venues. The Assistant Director explained that the forms had been amended to
reflect concerns raised and referred to the different consultation methods that had been employed.
· In response to questions concerning the cuts to funding the Cabinet Member explained that it was not possible to keep all buildings open and the rationale behind the proposals was to target families within the community and support the most deprived areas.
· With regard to the evidence for the need for the 2 year old offer, Councillor Quinn highlighted the need to intervene in families where children arrive at school lacking the most basic skills.
· Jo Bayley referred to the increasing numbers of young families moving into the Carr Clough area that will increase demand for the services offered at Butterstile. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that the lack of a community venue in Butterstile had been raised during the consultation and confirmed that this would be considered as part of the evaluation process.
· A number of concerns were raised in relation to the distance between Butterstile/Rainsough and the Sedgley site.
· Suggestions were made for further examination of potential out of hours use for the existing Children’s Centre buildings in order to make them financially viable.
· SunaTelli acknowledged the use of deprivation measures to inform decisions but highlighted that financial deprivation should not be the sole measure. Ms Telli stressed that the isolation encountered by some new parents could be felt across all income groups. It was also stated at the meeting that this point applied to mothers suffering post natal depression.
· Kate Shaw stressed the need for effective outreach work to support families of young children, not just two year olds, across the borough.
· Rebecca Jones commented that the proposals were short-sighted and stressed the importance of investing in early years in order to save money in the future. The Deputy Leader of the Council highlighted the need for targeted intervention and explained that outreach work was the most effective way of reaching those most in need.
It was agreed:
That the information provided be noted and Cllr Campbell and Ian Chambers be thanked for their contribution to the meeting.