Council asks for views on how to better target services for under-fives

Parents and carers of children under five are being asked for their views about how the support and guidance provided through the Royal Borough's Sure Start children's centres can be improved in the future.

A consultation, launched this week, is giving people the opportunity to have their say now that government Sure Start grant funding has stopped and local authorities are allowed to make their own decisions about how best to meet local needs.

Cllr Eileen Quick, cabinet member for children's services, said the council's overriding aim is to maintain the high quality and effectiveness of services for under-fives - but at reduced cost.

She explained: "Our children's centres were set up in ways directed by the Sure Start grant funding but that has come to an end and we have the opportunity to take a close look at what we are providing and where.

"In consultation with parents, carers, staff and other partners we want to plan for services that dovetail with the needs of our residents, especially those who need them most, and in ways that make them even more effective to address our local needs."

The future shape of children's centres and services for under-fives will depend on consultation feedback. However, the consultation paper does put forward a number of potential options including: merging two or three centres; having centres managed by other organisations that specialise in children's welfare such as council partner organisations, the voluntary sector or private companies; charging for some services; reducing funding for some or all centres and providing outreach services to families most in need. Solutions could be one or a combination of these potential options or could include alternatives which come through the consultation.

By changing the use of centre buildings the council could also make them more available for community and voluntary organisations to use for a range of other children's services.

Cllr Quick underlined the importance of getting local views. She added: "We must better understand the needs of young families so we are urging parents, carers, staff and others who have an interest in services for young children to tell us that they think. In this way we will have the information needed to plan for children's futures through effective services that are properly targeted and where they can be easily accessed."

The council is proposing that children's centres will continue with these policy objectives:
• Local needs should determine local services
• Children's centre services should be provided for those families who need them most
• Less money should be spent on management and administration
• Children's centre buildings should be fully utilised for the benefit of their communities.

More than 2,000 consultation forms are being distributed to all children's centres and should be returned by leaving them at any of the centres in the envelopes provided or sending them to:
Children's Centre Consultation
Family Support Service (Ellington)
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Town Hall
St Ives Road
Maidenhead
SL6 1RF.

The questionnaire is also available online at www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/ed_consultations.htm. The closing date is Sunday 19 February.

Afterwards all responses will be analysed and a report will go to cabinet for decision in March.

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