It seems each week another local authority announces children's centre closures. Funding cuts have decimated the former flagship government programme, designed to deliver multi-disciplinary services within communities to children under five and their families. But continuing demand is driving councils and independent providers to find new ways of delivering similar services more efficiently.
At their peak in 2010, 3,631 children's centres existed across England. Their funding was ringfenced. In April 2011 the coalition government removed the ringfence and introduced the early intervention grant. By 2015, according to CYP Now analysis, 1,026 had been closed or downgraded. The Labour Party says around 800 have closed their doors completely since 2010. However, the Department for Education disputes this, listing 3,265 children's centres or "linked sites" in operation on its database. In September, the department's figures showed councils are set to spend £90m less on services provided by children's centres in the current financial year than in 2015/16.
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