ITEM CMDCY2
CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES 19 FEBRUARY 2008
CHILDREN’S CENTRES 2008-11
Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families
Introduction
1. Children’s centres are “one stop shops” for all parents of young children under five years of age. They provide a range of services and/or information including health, early education, childcare, links to Jobcentre Plus, advice on access to work and training, and family support. They are a key link in tackling child poverty and improving outcomes for the youngest children.
2. Oxfordshire will have developed 29 Children’s centres by the end of Phase 2 (March 2008) including a mobile rural children’s centre project. In the third phase (2008-11), the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) have set Oxfordshire a target of developing a further 17 centres. All areas of the county will then be reached by a children’s centre.
3. Original approval for the development of Children’s centres in Oxfordshire was given at Cabinet meetings on 18 October 2005 and 7 March 2006. The Childcare Act (2006) then gave a statutory basis for the national Children’s centre programme. The strategy for procuring Phase 3 centres was discussed at the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee on 25 September 2007 and endorsed by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families.
4. Funding for the Children’s centre programme is through existing DSG funding for family support and the Surestart revenue grant. Surestart Children’s centre revenue funding has been notified for a three year period from April 2008. This increases over the term to allow for the continued expansion of services as capacity builds in Phase 1 and 2 centres, and the development of new centres in Phase 3.
5. This report is submitted to:
· update the member for CYP&F on the progress of the Children’s centre programme; · seek approval for exemptions from tendering for Children’s centre projects ending in March 2008; · seek endorsement of the selection of Phase 3 Children’s centre providers procured under CYP&F Service Specific Contract Procedure Rules; and · seek endorsement of the formula funding proposals for all centres, and the strategy for capital allocations for Phase 3 centres, from April 2008. Progress on Developing Phase 2 Centres
6. Four centres were designated in Phase 1 (2004-2006). The Leys Children’s centre, The Sunshine Centre in Ruscote, Banbury, Rose Hill and Littlemore Children’s centre and the ACE centre at Chipping Norton. These were designated on the basis that they either served communities that were in the 20% most deprived wards nationally, or they were already providing children’s centre services.
7. Twenty-five Phase 2 centres will be designated by March 2008, in line with our national target. This means that services will be in place, although they are not expected to be fully functional, nor is it expected that building programmes will be complete. Developing a Children’s centre is a long term, complex process requiring engagement of stakeholders, communities and a wide range of partner organisations, and this is recognised in the DCSF approvals process. In Oxfordshire, 14 building projects will be completed by the end of March, with DCSF approvals having been granted for the carry forward of capital funding to allow completion of the remaining nine projects by September 2008. Oxfordshire’s progress in delivering the Children’s centre project has been very positively commented on by national advisers.
8. A number of risks were identified in the report to Cabinet in March 2006. The two major risks that were initially identified were concern over the sustainability of funding for the programme and our capacity to deliver the programme to tight budgets and timescales. The legislative framework of the Childcare Act 2006, coupled with a three year funding announcement, have mitigated much of the initial concern, however the programme timeframes are still tight and the programme will remain, albeit at a low level of concern, on the CYP&F risk register.
9. The ‘mixed economy’ of developing children’s centres from a range of existing provision including primary and nursery schools and family support organisations (both local authority managed and lead by voluntary sector partners) has been a strength of the programme, enabling expertise from different sectors to contribute to the development of individual centres and countywide policies and practices.
10. There are a number of providers who received contracts to deliver Children’s centre services for the initial two year funding period. These providers are currently in the process of developing, or contributing services to the development of, a Children’s centre. To allow this development to continue without impediment to service delivery, and in recognition of the long term commitment required for this development, exemption from the tendering process for these contracts is sought. Proposals are contained in Annex 1 (download as .doc file).
Development of Phase 3 Centres
11. Procurement of Phase 3 centres has been undertaken in accordance with specifically prepared Service specific contract procedure rules. Following consultation and consideration of proposals, the providers listed at Annex 3 (download as .doc file) have been selected to lead and manage Phase 3 centres. The consultation summary is at Annex 2 (download as .doc file).
12. As in the previous phase many centres will be developed from existing provision, or through providers who are already delivering services in the catchment area. There continues to be mix of providers – schools, voluntary sector partners and local authority lead provision. Two local authority lead centres have been selected to run new centres. Bicester Children’s centre will expand to include the two new Bicester area catchments. There was strong support for this at the consultation and no other proposals were received. In the west of the county the Rural Children’s Centre project, which currently delivers services in many locations in this rural area, will run three new centres and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations. There is likely to be an increase in central staffing of approximately 10 -15 posts. However the overall numbers of Children’s centre staff in the central establishment will have decreased by April 2009 with the transfer of staff from the old neighbourhood nurseries and Rose Hill and Littlemore Children’s centre to their attached schools.
13. The rural children’s centre project will continue to deliver a mobile service to isolated communities to maintain continuity of service while new centres develop, and, as centres develop in some areas previously covered by the project, to work in support of centres across the county in reaching disadvantaged rural communities.
Funding for Phase 3 Centres
14. Formula Funding Allocations
Funding allocations
until March 2008 are based on a set payment according to whether a centre is
graduated, graduated plus (having a super output area in the 30% most
disadvantaged in Oxon), or full service. This model was an expedient way of
funding centres initially but requires refinement to ensure greater match
between the expectations of what will be delivered in a centre and the funding
available. After initial consultation with all centre heads, and drawing on
models used by other local authorities, a working group has devised a formula
funding model comprised of up to 12 factors. This model has been tested against
example allocation figures provided by the DCSF, and endorsed by the Children’s
Centre Programme Board and the S151 officer. Factors include a basic
allocation, additional payments for daycare quality and a qualified teacher for
full service centres, allocations for training, outreach work, and the extended
role of old family centres, a rate per child for every child under 5 and an
additional weighting for deprivation and rurality. Protection adjustment is
built in so that no centre receives a decrease in funding. A further paper and
proposed formula allocations are listed at Annex 4 (download as .doc file). 15. Capital Funding Allocations
The DCSF has made a 3 year capital grant of £5,551,833 available for children's centres over 2008-11.
The DCSF have made additional capital grants available to:
· support the development of extended schools; · support the local authority in improving the quality of the learning environment in early years settings; · increase access to early years provision, particularly for disabled children; and · enable PVI providers to deliver the extension to the free offer for 3 and 4 year olds.
Additionally, the Primary Capital programme will provide significant additional funding from April 2009.
A full needs analysis needs to be done for each area. The capital monies available for Children’s centres are not considered sufficient to fund the development that is likely to be required and it will be necessary to look at the different funding streams in an integrated way in order to ensure sufficient funding and best value. It may be possible to join up with the above funding streams where there are joint aims for a particular project. Accordingly, it is proposed that in order to link with the Primary Strategy for Change for Oxfordshire decisions about precise capital allocations will not be made until late summer 2008. Exceptions to this will be where an organisation has a current building in the catchment area that requires less than £70,000 to enable it to develop into a Children’s centre.
Each centre will require a hub or central point. Centres with rural areas need additional funding to enable them to provide satellite services to the area. The number of satellites proposed for each area takes account of the rural nature, size and need of the area. Proposals for hubs and satellites are listed at Annex 6 (download as .doc file). These may be revised on further needs analysis and it may be that in some cases the purchase of minibuses or mobile facilities better meets the needs of the area than enhancements to premises.
RECOMMENDATIONS
16. The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) agree exemptions from the tendering requirements of the contract procedure rules as set out in Annex 1 to this report;
(b) endorse the selection of Phase 3 Children’s centre providers procured under CYP&F Service Specific Contract Procedure Rules;
(c) endorse the proposed formula funded allocation of revenue to all centres as set out in Annex 4 and 5 to this report; and
(d) endorse the strategy for capital funding to Phase 3 centres as set out above and in Annex 6 to this report.
JANET TOMLINSON Director for Children, Young People & Families
Background papers: Nil
Contact Officers: Amanda Smith, Assistant Head of Service, Children & Families – Tel. (01865) 456743 Clare Abolins, Service Manager – Children’s Centres – Tel. (01235) 549290
February 2008
|