Children’s centre services set to be delivered from seven new family hubs

Plans to deliver children’s centres services from seven proposed new family hub bases across Shropshire will be considered by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet next week.

Under the proposals, services will be delivered from seven key buildings instead of the existing 26 buildings, namely: The Centre – Oswestry; Sunflower House– Shrewsbury; Crowmoor Centre – Shrewsbury; Rockspring Centre – Ludlow; the Youth Centre in Bridgnorth; and a hub base in the Whitchurch area yet to be determined.

Shropshire Council said it had also listened to feedback from parents and carers and have revisited the levels of need in the Market Drayton area – hence the proposal to add a seventh hub base – Raven House, covering the Market Drayton area. The Early Help Team based in Market Drayton will ensure Early Help support and services are available for families living in the Whitchurch area until a suitable building is sourced.

Chidren’s centre services will continue to be provided from the hubs, and through local community venues and home visits.

The proposals were originally drawn up following a consultation held in February and March 2018 in which families, stakeholders and staff were asked for their views on the idea of family hubs. Their views and opinions helped to shape the proposals. A further six-week consultation into the proposals ran from 29 May and included some 25 public meetings.

Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services and education, said:

“The proposed new delivery model for Early Help services across the county will provide whole family support, dealing with all the issues a family faces, with their full involvement and consent. The principle of delivering these services through bases or hubs was generally well received during our consultations and I want to thank everyone who took part and shared their thoughts with us.

“We want to provide support to children and families who are most in need of our help, quickly and in the right way. We also currently spend an awful lot of money on a lot of buildings, some of which are only used for a very small part of the week. We therefore think it’s far better to focus our resources on providing services for those who need our help, rather than paying for buildings.”

Under the proposals services provided by Shropshire Council’s partners will also continue, including midwifery services, health visitor services and services for vulnerable and disadvantaged children, especially those with special needs.

Shropshire Council says it does not intend to close the 20 unneeded buildings but anticipates that they would be used by other organisations providing services for children and families.

The proposed delivery model has the potential to deliver £875,000 of savings.