Agenda item

(Report of the Director of the Children and the Young People’s Service – To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People): To report on the proposed re-organisation of children’s centres, extended school services, play and youth services within each children’s network to provide families with better joined up services.

Provision for 0-19 year olds (outside statutory schooling) (Report of the Director of the Children and Young People’s Service – Agenda Item 9)

Councillor Amin declared a personal interest in this matter by virtue of working in a children’s centre in another borough.

In introducing the report the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People advised that a review of the five Council-run children’s centres had started over six months ago and the report now under consideration was, in part, the culmination of that review.  Parents and staff had been consulted during this process and, in particular, during the formal consultation period.  Most staff within the play service had been consulted at staff meetings and the managers of the five Council-run children’s centres had been involved throughout the review.  Children’s centre managers had met and discussed the proposals with their staff.

Further discussions would be held with parents, staff and others on a centre by centre basis if the proposals set out in the report were approved.  

The report provided a detailed set of proposals supported by the results of the consultation.  The proposals followed the strategic direction that Central Government was asking of the Council and offered considerable benefits to children and their families.  The future management options for Triangle and Noel Park Children’s Centres were set out clearly in the report and, as stated, there would be further consultation regarding Triangle on a local level. The three schools named had been approached and initial discussions held.  Two of the schools were in  favour in principle, subject to further detailed work, and a meeting was planned with the third school. The Centres would continue under the management of the Council if local schools chose not to take over the management.  However, the Council would seek to understand the reasons why a school did not want to do so.

In response to the specific points made by the deputation in their presentation we noted that the consultation had run for one month in line with the Council’s guidance on local consultation and that Government guidance for 12 week periods for consultation concerned statutory consultation of large scale change not consultations such as this one.

The consultation document could not have been clearer in what it was asking of stakeholders.  The aim was to set out proposals for the strategic direction in joining up 0-19 services rather than a detailed consultation on a centre by centre basis.If the recommendations in the report were approved then further discussions would be held on a local centre by centre basis with key stakeholders, including staff and their union representatives and parents, as these proposals were taken forward and the detail was worked upon. As the report set out recommendations for further formal consultation specifically around the future management options for the Triangle Children’s Centre it would also help to answer concerns raised, as would the firmer proposal around Noel Park Children’s Centre.

The two consultation sessions for parents had been held at the Professional Development Centre near Turnpike Lane.  The venue was chosen due to its central location within the Borough and closeness to both the tube and local bus stops. The morning session had been held on the first floor for which apologies had given at the meeting.  The second session was held on the ground floor. The consultation sessions had also been advertised in the local press and were publicised through the children’s centres and play centres. The timing of consultation sessions were always difficult as it was not possible to find a time which suited everyone. One morning and an early evening slot were felt  to be the best options.

The document had not just been distributed to children’s centres.  It was sent to all schools, play centres and partners in hard copy form.  It was also available on the Council’s website and through email. Children’s centre and play centre staff had then taken steps to distribute the document to their users.  Over 202 responses had been received which was regarded as a good representative sample. The Council had moved some way since July 2007 and would continue to listen and where possible respond to the wishes and aspirations  of stakeholders. It was hoped that individuals and groups would write to the Department for Children, Families and Schools and join the debate on the management of children’s centres.

RESOLVED:

1.      That approval be granted to the model for 0-19 provision (outside statutory schooling) for children, young people and families within each Children’s Network as outlined in the interleaved report.

2.      That approval be granted in principle to the proposal for the management of three of the five Council run children’s centres (Stonecroft, Park Lane, Woodside and Noel Park) be delegated to, or delivered via a Service Level Agreement, from nearby primary schools and in the first instance for formal discussions to take place with Campsbourne, St Paul’s and All Hallows and Earlham Primary Schools respectively given their locations and relationship with the centres.           

3.      That approval be granted in principle to the proposal for the management of Noel Park Children’s Centre to be delegated to or delivered via an SLA from Noel Park Primary School and that further discussions take place with the school and local stakeholders on the detail given it operates on a different model to the other children’s centres. 

4.      That approval be granted to the proposal that further local consultation on the best management model for Triangle Children’s Centre be considered in partnership with Urban Environment and the NDC (or its successor body) before any final decision is taken by Cabinet and it be noted that the following three possible management models have been suggested -

·        appoint a new head of an integrated Centre who would develop the facility as an intergenerational Centre providing work across the whole community and being accountable as now to the local authority;

·        appoint a third party from the national or local voluntary sector to manage and develop the centre as an integrated service with current staff remaining as Haringey employees but seconded under contract to this organisation for a number of years, working in close partnership with the NDC (its successor body) and the local community;

5.  That approval be granted in principle to the proposal that some or all of the Council-run play centres are managed by local schools (as part of their extended schools programme) or children’s centres and that formal discussions are held with those schools identified as the ‘best fit’ given their location and links with existing play centres as identified in Appendix 4 to the interleaved report.