North Yorkshire residents are being asked for their views on the future use of 18 identified designated children’s centres run by North Yorkshire Council, which includes Skipton Sure Start Children's Centre.
The authority’s executive member for children and families, Cllr Janet Sanderson, gave the go ahead on Tuesday, August 20, for a consultation to be launched on the de-registration of the centres.
The move will allow for greater flexibility in the future use of the buildings so that they can best meet the needs of the local community.
Before 2015, North Yorkshire Council’s Children and Families Service Early Help delivered sessions from a high number of premises. However, since 2015, the need for face-to-face sessions has significantly reduced.
At the same time, the Children and Families Service Early Help moved away from supporting children up to five years and extended that support to up to 19-year-olds. The establishments became known as Children and Families Hubs.
However, in March 2019, as part of a service review, the Children and Families Service wanted to bring together the Early Help and safeguarding teams to provide joined-up services for families.
All North Yorkshire Council properties and leased space were looked at to help identify where the co-location could happen.
Now, the use of the children’s centres is being looked at to bring them in line with what families and communities need in the future.
Cllr Janet Sanderson said:
“The needs of our children and young people are changing and it is our responsibility to keep up.
"By being flexible with the purpose and use of our buildings, we can open up opportunities to work with key partners and organisations that can deliver a range of activities.”
The authority’s assistant director for children and families, Mel Hutchinson, added:
“Over the last four years, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, Early Help has redesigned the delivery of its activities to better support children and their families.
“We now deliver a blended approach of face-to-face and virtual activities taking place in our premises and in family homes, reducing the need for the same number of designated children’s centres.
“By consulting on the de-registration of all the designated children’s centres and being flexible, we can open opportunities for our buildings to be used differently.”
A 28-day public consultation has been launched and includes a survey. Anyone wishing to take part in the consultation can do so by visiting www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/consultations-and-engagement/current-consultations/de-registration-childrens-centres
The findings of the consultation will go before the executive in October before a final decision is made.
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