Hundreds of Sure Start centres 'face axe' - report

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities and also in Housing

Hundreds of Sure Start centres face closure this year and thousands of others are cutting services and have warned of job losses, according to a new report today.

The closures and reduced services, caused by Government cuts, could see 60,000 families lose their local centre, it was claimed.

A study by families charity 4Children and the Daycare Trust suggested 250 Sure Start Children's Centres are expected to close, 2,000 will provide a reduced service and 3,100 will have a smaller budget.

Staff at 1,000 centres have been warned about the threat of redundancy, according to the survey of almost 1,000 centre managers across England.

The charities warned closing centres risked withdrawing "crucial support" from families.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children said: "Families across the country, particularly the most vulnerable, depend on Sure Start Children's Centres to help get their children off to the best start in life. We know that local authorities have some extremely difficult spending decisions to make but investment now will lead to real savings in the long term.

"Local authorities need to find new ways to ensure Sure Start Children's Centres earn their keep by allowing them to become genuine hubs for all children and families services in communities, reducing replication and improving impacts. Voluntary and community organisations stand ready to help councils find innovative solutions to these funding dilemmas."

Anand Shukla, acting chief executive of the Daycare Trust said: "Behind every Children's Centre facing closure is a community of families devastated at losing one of their most valued local services.

"The tragedy of these cuts is that the full extent of Sure Start's impact on children's development will only be achieved in the long term, and the impending closure of so many centres means this investment will not now be fully realised.

"The Government has allocated sufficient funding for the existing network of Sure Start Children's Centres to be maintained and has called for Britain to be the most family-friendly country in Europe. We understand local authorities have difficult decisions to make, but an investment in children and families is an investment in our society and in our future.

"Rather than close down these vital family services, we call upon local authorities to pursue all possible options for the sustainable delivery of these services."

Labour MP Frank Field, an adviser to the Government on poverty and life chances, said: "It is inconceivable that we can make the foundation years effective if Sure Start children's centres all over the place are being slaughtered. Local authorities must seek to employ innovative methods to ensure families - especially the poorest families - do not lose the vital support they need."

Sure Start centres offer a range of services to families with young children, including help for parents wanting to find work.

Children's minister Sarah Teather said: "Sure Start is at the heart of our vision for early intervention - that's why we have ensured there is enough money in the system to maintain the network of Sure Start children's centres, as well as providing new investment for health visitors.

"I understand that local authorities are facing difficult decisions which require local discussion and hard choices. Many areas haven't yet made final decisions, but what's important is that communities have access to services that support children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged. The new Early Intervention Grant gives local authorities the freedom and flexibility to make the best decisions for the families in their communities."

Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham said: "David Cameron made a personal promise to protect and build on Sure Start. Today we learn that these were just hollow words and yet another broken promise to the families of our country. By asking children and families to bear the brunt of their cuts, this Tory-led Government is showing that they have no idea what pressure ordinary families are under.

"Sure Start is widely recognised as a unique and highly valuable service that plays a vital role in helping all families give children the best start in life. By standing by while cash-strapped local authorities are forced to make cuts and closures to the Children's Centre network, the Tory-led Government are stacking the odds even further against aspirational families who want to get on in life."