Council announces plans to close majority of children's centres

Under plans out for consultation, the county's 44 children's centres and seven early intervention hubs will be replaced by eight "children and family centres".

The eight new centres will be based in areas of highest need across the county, with social workers, family support workers and other professionals using them as bases to work with families in need of help and support.

A report on the proposals, put together by the authority's director of children's services Jim Leivers, said that reduced funding and rising demand mean "radical changes" to the way services for children and families are delivered must be made.

"The overwhelming priority for children's services must be to meet our legal requirement to keep children safe from abuse and neglect and it would clearly be unsafe to reduce funding of core child protection social work," the report states.

"The directorate's savings, therefore, have to come from the early intervention service, which includes the current network of 44 children's centres and seven early intervention hubs and the youth engagement and opportunities team."

The report said the proposed family and children centres will offer a "significant outreach service" to all parts of the county in order to help families who most need intensive support.

"This will include running targeted groups in local communities travelling to meet families in their homes, at school or other venues," the report adds.

In July it emerged that the rate of children's centres being closed more than doubled in the past year.

Statistics released by childcare minister Sam Gyimah in parliament show that there were 99 children's centre closures in the first six months of 2015 compared with 83 closures for the whole of 2014.

The proposals in Oxfordshire are set to be considered by the council's cabinet on 15 September.