Analysis: Sure Start Children's Centres - Centres saved amid the wave of cuts

Reports emerging from around the country paint a grim picture of children's centre closures and cuts, despite Government claims that it has allocated enough funding to maintain the current network.

David Cameron's own poverty advisor, Labour MP Frank Field, has warned that children's centres will be 'decimated' by council cuts without immediate intervention. Research conducted by 4Children and the Daycare Trust suggested that up to 250 settings could close this year.

In an interview with the Times last week, Mr Field blamed the Government's commitment to devolving power to local councils - which has led to the removal of ring-fencing for Sure Start grants - for the scale of the cuts that have been reported.

He said, 'The Government urgently needs to step in ... they are keeping to their localism commitment, but now there is evidence on just how dangerous localism can be.'

As local authorities finalise the details of their budgets for the next financial year, sector leaders say the next few weeks are 'make or break' for children's centres.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, says that many local authorities are facing severe budget pressures and that the Government needs to stop playing 'pass the political parcel'.

'Our figures show that significant numbers of centres are at risk of closure and while we know that central Government is in favour of children's centres and we know that funding was maintained in cash terms, in many areas local authorities have been forced to think less about what can be achieved and more about the least awful option,' she says.

'Early years services and children's centres are just too important to be left to chance. In the next few weeks we will have details of local authority settlements and if it appears that lots of children's centres are under threat, we want the Government to step in.'

Ms Longfield adds, 'The Government announced £200m funding for the Big Society last week; why can't some of that money be spent on children's centres? Local authorities can bring in voluntary organisations to run children's centres and the sector is ready and waiting to step in.'

Among all the gloom, however, there are some local authorities that have pledged not to close any of their children's centres and to protect and even enhance frontline services.

NORTH YORKSHIRE

North Yorkshire County Council has already carried out a review and reorganisation of its children's centres, and, rather than cut services, the local authority has focused on centralising management teams and making better use of children's centre buildings.

Marc Mason, strategic development and commissioning manager for North Yorkshire County Council, explains, 'The reason for the reorganisation was two-fold. First, like everyone else we have to adjust to significant cuts. However, we had already planned a review of children's centres, as they have been running for around three years. We needed to consider what we have learned and the impact that children's centres are having. We will not be closing any children's centres and we want to increase the services on offer. The county council is totally committed to early intervention and children's centres are a major vehicle for early years and our early intervention strategy.'

The council has reduced the number of managerial roles within its children's centres but has increased the number of administrative staff so that buildings can stay open until later in the evening and be used by local community groups.

Mr Mason adds, 'Obviously the higher costs are at management level, and we have taken out a layer of management and invested some of the money saved into front line delivery. Local community groups often need a building they can use and we are saying that they can come and use the centre at no cost, as long as they provide the group. We are trying to be more innovative; we can either lie down and let services be cut to pieces, or try to bring in money from different sources. For example, we are helping small community groups bid for funds and saying that they can use children's centre buildings and staff, which gives them leverage.'

Mr Mason shares the view of organisations such as United for All Ages and London Early Years Foundation chief executive June O'Sullivan - that children's centres should open their doors to all generations to make best use of their facilities and to ensure that they have the full support of their local community.

'We have carried out impact/evaluation studies that have evidenced the impact on families and communities and we are increasingly realising that children's centres are an integral part of local communities,' he says. 'What we have realised is that we have to get that intergenerational buy-in so that local communities feel children's centres are part of their make-up.'

NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE

North East Lincolnshire is another area which, if the council's proposals are approved, will not be losing any of its 14 children's centres.

Tony McCabe, deputy leader of NE Lincolnshire borough council and portfolio holder for children and family services, says, 'We have always been committed to the original Sure Start. The plan at the moment is to maintain and enhance the original Phase 1 children's centres and maintain the others.'

However, the local authority is carrying out a review of its children's centres as part of its drive to save a total of £15m by April next year, and £30m by 2015, which could lead to cuts in opening hours and staffing levels.

Mr McCabe says, 'The last Government said that children's centres had to be open from 8am to 6pm and that all Phase One children's centres, and Phase Two centres in the most disadvantaged areas, had to provide childcare, but what we have found is that there is not always a demand for these opening hours or for childcare.

'One of our original Sure Start centres, which is in the middle of an area of deprivation, was inspected a few weeks ago and was graded outstanding. The centre has an 80 per cent take-up rate. However, some of our centres in the leafier suburbs are struggling to get people through the doors. What is the point in laying on a lot of services if there is no demand? I believe there should be a review of the services and there should be rationalisation. However, in the current climate, any change is put down to cuts.'

He adds, 'Our proposals are that wherever families are vulnerable and in need we will attempt to provide them with more intensive intervention, but in areas where there is less demand, centres will have their opening hours reduced from 8am to 3pm or 10am to 3pm.'

CITY OF YORK

In York, up to 170 local authority jobs are to be cut as the city council seeks to close a £21m budget gap. But it has promised that no children's centres will shut.

Councillor Carol Runciman, executive member for children and young people's services, explains, 'The council has faced significant cuts and we need to work smarter and make the money go further. We are not reorganising children's centres, but there is likely to be a major review of them and the work they do. The work they do is going to have to become more targeted, but there will be no sudden decisions and I think there will still be universal access. We need to have a careful look at the services and what's needed and to make sure we get it right.'

Ms Runciman, who worked for 30 years training nursery nurses, adds, 'Early intervention is a priority for me. I have seen some of the very useful work that children's centres do. The buildings are already in use during the evenings and at weekends, and they are already intergenerational in the sense that we have grandparents who come along to our family groups with their grandchildren'.

DEVON

In Devon, the second biggest county council in England, children's centres have had their funding cut by an average of 9 per cent, but the council is keen to protect all the settings from closure.

Andrea Davis, cabinet member for children's health and well-being at Devon County Council, says, 'We have 43 children's centres and we are not closing any. Only two of the children's centres are run by the council and the others are run by voluntary organisations. It will be for those organisations to decide what is required within their locality. They are the experts. We have tried to ensure that the most deprived areas suffer the smallest cuts, along with those that have the largest number of children within their reach.'

Ms Davis says some settings are already approaching the council with innovative ideas for how they can make better use of resources.

'One setting I visited last week wants to open up to other community groups and we have made it clear that we have no problem with that,' she says. 'For example, we are not precious about children's centres being only for the under-fives - logically, many families will have children who are both under and older than five. It doesn't make sense to say a child of five and a half can't come to the children's centre and it is unhelpful for families. Also, what a community wants or needs in Exeter could be completely different to what is needed in Ilfracombe. However, what we can say is that children's centres are a top priority for the council and that access to them will remain universal. The support that families get at children's centres is invaluable and I wish they had been around when I had young children.'

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the cuts visit our Cuts Watch at: www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1050244/BIG-ISSUE-Cuts-Sure-Start-Childrens-Centres