‘Inadequate' council set to downgrade children's centres to save £2.7m

As part of a review of early years services, Wandsworth Council plans to “de-designate” two of the 14 children’s centres in the local authority area.

Responsibility for the two downgraded centres, alongside two other children’s centres run by the council, will be handed to local schools, which are already responsible for 10 children’s centres.

Under Ofsted's current inspection regime for children's centres, three of the council-run centres have been inspected - two of which have been graded "requires improvement”, with the third rated "inadequate”.

"Four of the 14 children's centres are directly managed by the council's early years and intervention support services,” a report on the proposals states.

"These centres do not have well-developed relationships with local schools and this is a disadvantage."

"School-based centres are able to ensure that the services they deliver are planned to meet the needs that are arising in the school cohort accessing nursery and reception and prevalent in the local community."

The report adds that "a number of authorities have transferred centres to local schools [and] this approach has already been taken for the majority of centres in Wandsworth."

The council said it also wants to create a closer relationship between health visiting and children's centres to provide a service that is better able to meet children and parents' needs.

The proposals are set to save Wandsworth Council in the region of £2.7m over the next two years. A total of six jobs will be lost.

In February, Wandsworth's children's services department was rated "inadequate" by Ofsted after inspectors highlighted "unsafe practice".

A consultation on the plans will run until 24 May.