Issue - meetings

Recommendation

To approve de-registration of the 18 Children centres

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Children and Young People’s Service which provided a summary of the consultation response on the de-registration of the remaining Children’s Centres in North Yorkshire and requested approval for re-registration.

The Executive Member for Children and Families, Councillor Janet Sanderson, introduced the report and confirmed:

·        Statutory guidance from the Department for Education stated that any building currently registered as a designated Children’s Centre will need to be de-registered with the DFE following the Sure Start Children’s Centre Statutory Guidance. 

·        The guidance recommended consultation with stakeholders prior to any change. 

·        Of the 224 respondents to the consultation, only 20% used the Centres regularly and 60% hadn’t used them in the past year.  54% supported the proposed de-registration, and 34% were opposed to the proposal. 

·        Comments had been received from a small number of schools and early years providers raising safeguarding concerns in relation to the future use of the buildings.  Discussions would be held with such schools where future use was being explored.

·        The DfE could request financial clawback, but this was considered unlikely.

·        The de-registration of Children’s Centres would not reduce the current service available to children and their families.

In response to a question from Councillor Rich Maw, the Corporate Director advised that Sure Start had not existed for 10 years, however the statutory guidance was still in place and should be adhered to.  Any decisions on future use of the buildings would consider services available in the locality including statutorily arranged childcare.

Resolved (unanimously)

The 18 designated Children centres be de-registered.

Reasons for decision

The majority of respondents were in favour of the de-registration of the children’s centres and rationalisation of building providing potential opportunities for alternative use of the buildings which included opportunities for an increase in early years provision, transferring the premises to schools, greater use by communities and opportunities for the development of community hubs.

The de-registration of the designated children’s centres will not reduce the current services delivered to children and their families.

Alternative options considered

None