Council announces plans to axe 25 children's centres
Jess Brown
Thursday, February 18, 2016
A council has announced plans to close 25 children's centres as part of its overhaul of services for children and families.
Essex County Council has launched a public consultation on the future of its childen's centres, and proposes to keep just 12 of the existing 37 sites open.
The 12 remaining centres would be turned into “family hubs” from April 2017, offering services for 0- to 19-year-olds, including pregnancy support. They will be open for 50 hours each week, including weekends.
Alongside the hubs, the council wants to open "outreach sites” across the county that will offer information and advice for families. The exact number of these sites is yet to be decided, although the council said it has made space in 19 libraries across the borough.
Dick Madden, Essex County Council's lead member for adults and children said: “We want to provide the right support and advice, in the right place and at the right time.”
Ray Gooding, lead member for education and lifelong learning, said the proposals are about providing more flexible support to families.
“Children’s centres are being included in a larger piece of work that we are doing to bring services together for all families and their children – from pregnancy right up to the age of 19," he said.
News of the planned closures in Essex comes just days after it emerged that The Children's Society is set to cease running children's centres by the end of the year.
The consultation is set to run until 10 April.
