News

Devon children's centres face closure threat

Children's centre closures are being considered in Devon as the county council looks to make £1.2m of cuts to the service.

A consultation has been launched over a raft of measures to cut children’s centre services costs by 15 per cent over the next three years.

Options include reducing the number of centres and focusing sites on the county’s most deprived areas.

This would see children’s centres reorganised into eight areas aligned by district and city council boundaries, which would also reduce management and administration costs.

The council currently owns 34 centres and runs children’s centre services in a further 13 other community buildings. The exact number of potential closures has not yet been considered.

As part of the proposals the council is also considering providing more children’s centre services in other council buildings and community venues, as well as through home visits.

A reduction in opening times and the range of services available at centres is also being looked at as well as inviting other organisations to use centres to provide community services.

The move coincides with the current children’s centre contracts in Devon coming to an end. There are six different organisations currently running centre services including Action for Children, Barnardo's and the Children’s Society. 

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this

Hertfordshire Youth Workers

“Opportunities in districts teams and countywide”

Administration Apprentice

SE1 7JY, London (Greater)