Securing the future of our children’s centres

After extensive public consultation, on Wednesday 31 October 2012 the Royal Borough’s Cabinet carefully reviewed a number of options for the future delivery of children’s centre services. The Council has now agreed a way forward which it believes will secure the future of all eight of its children’s centres.

Read a copy of our latest leaflet [PDF] (file size 800Kb)

Background

The Royal Borough must review every aspect of its services to find ways of coping with the unprecedented reduction in government funding.  The Council has already shared some of its services with neighbouring boroughs Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham to reduce management and back office roles.  However, this alone cannot deliver the savings demanded in the current economic climate, and the Council needs to look at other ways by which savings can be made.

In our children’s centres 120 childcare places are available to fee-paying parents and this represents 5.9 per cent of the total places in the borough. The Council is currently providing an average subsidy of £7,172 per annum to each of these fee-paying parents, whilst parents whose children are cared for by other providers in the borough receive no equivalent subsidy.

The combined likely savings target for Children’s Services in 2013/14 and 2014/15 is at least £3.115m, with continuing financial pressure forecast for the foreseeable future. As a big spending department Children’s Services must play its part in delivering significant savings, amounting to 27 per cent over a three-year period.

These savings cannot be achieved without a substantial reorganisation of the service and it is against this background that Cabinet has made its decision.

Children’s centre consultation

After consulting hundreds of parents, staff, centre users and the wider public Cabinet has agreed four broad principles for the future delivery of children’s centre services. These are to:

  • reorganise the Council’s children’s centres into two clusters, with one lead centre in the north and one lead centre in the south, and with the smaller centres linked to the ‘hubs’
  • review children’s centre services to ensure they are targeted at those in most need and deliver best value for money
  • market test the outsourcing of childcare at the four council-run sites: Violet Melchett, Cheyne, Clare Gardens and St. Quintin
  • review the number of Children in Need places

At the heart of this strategy is the need to make the necessary savings without closing any children’s centres, reducing the number of childcare places, sacrificing service quality or removing support for those children and families who need it the most.

Cabinet decision

Please read the Key Decision report for more information on the background to the Council’s decision. 

The following background information is also available:

Next steps

The changes proposed by Cabinet will take time to come into effect and will be gradually phased in over the coming months. We’ve listened to parents’ views from the consultation and their concerns about the issues of cost, quality and continuity will be central to any future plans for the service. The Council will test the market this month (November) and if a new childcare provider is selected they would take over running the centres from autumn 2013. We are committed to keeping you involved every step of the way and as things develop we will hold regular events to update service users. You can email comments, concerns and support to ccstrategy@rbkc.gov.uk.