A Statutory Consultation Period Has Commenced and This Is Being Undertaken Across Two Phases
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Appendix 1 CHILDREN'S CENTRE STATUTORY CONSULTATION PHASE 1 Background A statutory consultation period has commenced and this is being undertaken across two phases. Phase one of the consultation commenced on Friday 30th January 2015 and concluded on Friday 27 March 2015. This was a broad consultation to ask the public of Barnsley and key stakeholders for their views on the proposal to develop a network of Family Centres and to ascertain what is most important to them when considering how the existing Children's Centre network should be reconfigured. Views from phase one of the consultations is to be considered and taken into account in further developing the proposed model. The second phase of consultation will take place between Monday 18th May 2015 and Friday 26th June 2015. This phase of the consultation will focus on a proposed model of Family Centres. The final proposals will be considered and agreed by Bamsley Council Cabinet members in the autumn of 2015. It is planned that the borough's Family Centres will open in April 2016. Findings The findings of the consultation are as follows: Responses 830 total responses (650 Online, 180 hard copies). Postcode areas and number of responses S11 = 1 S63 = 65 373=162 HD9=1 S35=4 S65=1 S74 = 63 WF4=1 S36 = 46 370=109 375=105 WF10=1 S60= 1 S71 =167 S97= 1 No postcode = 28 S62=2 S72 = 71 DN5=1 Age The majority of people completing the questionnaire were between 21 - 40 years of age. Parent/Carers The large majority, 731, were parents or carers. Of these 617 had children under 5 years old, and 211 had children aged 5-11 years. Findings 298 of respondents stated they would like to extend the age range to pre-birth to 19 years (25 years, if the child has a disability) with 299 neither agreeing or disagreeing. The proposed range of services was received favourably with the large majority agreeing or strongly agreeing to: Support with physical health 664 Support meeting emotional health 679 Practicai advice on keeping childrenjxafe 700 Developing social networks via groups 689 Support with education and learning 744 Page 1 of 4 Support with parenting/behaviours 686 Support with positive family routines 669 Support for home and money 572 Support with work, training and volunteering | 575 There were 342 additional comments on what other services people would like. These include: Childcare The good proportion of comments related to childcare (82 responses - 8 from Darfield specifically). Most families expressing that they trusted the Children's Centre nurseries and staff, they would like keep childcare open and wanting support for working parents through the provision of affordable childcare. Respondents have also commented on other services they would like to see, which are: Comment Number of related responses Extension of hours 25 Support for dads More after school clubs for older children 22 Groups for children who have SEND and their 13 siblings More adult learning child development, cooking 29 and qualifications in the communities General support including work, benefits and 22 debt Support with adult mental health, substance 12 misuse, domestic abuse and relationship General There were many comments around supporting Children's Centre services in the current delivery model, and having them locally as access is an issue for some families. A couple of comments were received from the BME sector, asking for wider understanding of cultural diverse societies, and access to services for those new to communities. Access In relation to access to Family Centres throughout the borough, the Family Centre model was favourable recieved with respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing that they would access services across the range of: Family Centres: 732 Local community venues: 591 Outreach on a one to one basis: 459 Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would like to retain flexibility to access services across more than one site in the Borough (686). People were asked which factors should guide the identification of main site locations: Criteria Yes No No Opinion Aligned with 6 Area 357 139 277 Councils In areas with high 607 66 84 levels of need In areas with high 210 158 118 levels of poverty/low Page 2 of 4 income In other community 368 164 221 assets and buildings The consultation asked about the Council only delivering childcare where there is a need to do so; this received a mixed response: 289 strongly agreeing or agreeing 137 neither agree nor disagree 390 disagree or strongly disagree The consultation asked if Family Centres should prioritise services to those most in need of support: 507 yes they should 207 no they should not (see comments below) 101 no opinion There were 190 additional comments where people had answered no to the above: Comment Number of related responses All families should access the support they need 145 Family Centres should concentrate on those 15 most in need In support of the delivery of childcare Asking how is 'need' assessed, as all families 29 have 'needs' General comments The consultation asked respondents to make any other comments. There were 209 responses to this and the majority related to general support for the excellent work Children's Centres have undertaken, and to keep service delivery as it is (100). There were some very strong negative comments around changing services, the consultation and funding (7); and a couple of comments from people who do not want to change the age range; there were 34 responses in relation to keeping childcare. Summary Findings suggest that the majority of the people responding to the questionnaire are in agreement with the proposals, other than the potential for a reduction in Local Authority managed childcare. Most respondents would like to see the age range extended and they liked the proposed range of services. Respondents would like childcare to remain in Children's Centres, and would like to see current group activities continue, with some additional services and extension to delivery times including support with mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse taking into account culturally diverse factors. Access to Family Centre services received a mixed response with people wanting access through all types of venues including Family Centres, community venues and through outreach, although most agreed they would like to access services at more than one Centre. Most respondents would like to see the main site locations in areas with high levels of need. Other community venues and Centre services aligned with the 6 area councils received a similar response. Between approximately a quarter and a half of all the respondents had accessed services and felt that they were all very important. Most respondents (507) said they should be prioritised to those most in need of support, however, some respondents (207) felt they should not be prioritised at all and that services should Page 3 of 4 be available for all families and there were some strong comments received around this. Of those who made an additional comment most respondents would like service delivery to remain the same. Page 4 of 4 Appendix 1 CHILDREN'S CENTRE STATUTORY CONSULTATION PHASE 2 Page 1 of 18 Introduction Proposed changes to Children's Centre services are subject to full statutory consultation. The council has therefore undertaken full statutory consultation with the public including families, communities, partners, elected members, stakeholders and staff in two distinct phases as it proposes to reconfigure Barnsley's Children's Centres into Family Centres. This comes at a time when the council is facing large budget reductions, and is required to make a saving of £2.5 million from this service area, by March 2016. Phase one of the consultation focused on the broad principles on which to base any change in the service delivery model. The first phase of the formal public consultation commenced Friday 30th January until Friday 27th March 2015. The feedback from the consultation was analysed and formed the basis of the more detailed proposals set out in the second phase of the consultation which commenced on Monday 18th May until Friday 26* June 2015 Children's Centre services have played an important role in delivering support for children under the age of five and their families across Barnsley. It is recognised that quality and accessibility of service delivery to the youngest children is important to make sure they have the best possible start in life, and are fully prepared for school. The proposal is to build on the excellent work of Children's Centres, to re-shape and expand the range of services that families can access, so that support is available for the whole family, changing the remit from supporting children with families under five years, to incorporating integrated service delivery for children pre-birth up to 19 years (or 25 years if the young person has a disability). The council is committed to having a positive impact on the lives and outcomes for children across the borough. The proposed Family Centre model will ensure services are accessible to families in their community. Page 2 of 18 Focus of Consultation: proposed model of Family Centre service delivery Area Councils Main Site Linked Site Outreach Venue Closure Central Area Sunnybank Buddies Hunni-Bee Dodworth & Gilroyd Central, Rising Stars Dodworth, Stairfoot & Worsbrough Wards Dearne Area Embankment Dearne Dearne North, Dearne South Wards North Area Secret Garden Darton Darton East, Wilthorpe Darton West, Old Town, St Helen's Wards North East Area Milefield Lundwood Royston Cudworth, Monk Buttercup Bretton, North East, Royston Wards South & Darfield Jump Kings Oak Penistone Area Hoyland Darfield, Common Hoyland Milton, Rockingham and Penistone Wombwell Wards Penistone East, Penistone West Wards Page 3 of 18 Methodology There has been wide public consultation, both from a written questionnaire, accessible through Children's Centres/community venues and an on-line survey questionnaire.