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ITEM EX15

EXECUTIVE - 17 APRIL 2002

FAMILY CENTRE PROVISION IN BANBURY

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer

1. The Children's Society has announced that it will be closing the Banbury Family Centre during the summer of this year. This report briefs members on the background to the closure and the actions that officers are taking to address the issues that arise from the closure.
2. The Children's Society first came to Banbury in 1985 when, in conjunction with the Social Services Department, it conducted some research into the need for family support in the town. The partnership with Social Services continued and in 1987 it established a family centre in the grounds of St. Leonard's School from which it offered a wide range of family support from drop-in sessions and playschemes to youth work. It established a reputation for innovation. Two projects spawned by The Children's Society and now fully independent and self-financing are Banbury Home Start and the Community Bus Project.
3. In 1991 the Family Centre extended its operation to Bretch Hill, one of the neediest housing estates in the County, and delivered family support services from the School House on Neithrop School site. In 1993 the whole service moved to Bretch Hill and, due to lack of sufficient and suitable space at Neithrop, it operated through several local schools and Church-based premises until 1998 when services were re-located to the present purpose-built family centre building in The Fairway, Bretch Hill.
4. Throughout the period The Children's Society has funded its work from its own fundraising, from successful bids for government funding (e.g. Opportunities for Volunteering) and from Social Services through a Service Level Agreement. The current grant from the County Council to the Banbury Family Centre is £41,990 p.a. It is calculated that over the last 17 years The Children's Society has contributed in the region of £1,000,000 to the support of families in Banbury. During this time it has pioneered new practice in many directions and, more recently, has focussed on Early Years while realigning its practice to social justice objectives.

Closure of Banbury Family Centre

5. The decision to close the family centre and withdraw from Banbury has been taken by The Children's Society following a review of all its work in Britain within a context of severely reduced income and the need to remain viable. Significant savings have had to be made through both reductions in programmes and closures. As a result, The Children's Society's presence and funding within North Oxfordshire will cease during 2002/03 and services from the Banbury Family Centre will close or be transferred by August 2002.

Ensuring Continuity of Family Support

6. The Children's Society Regional Managers have met with Education Department officers to plan the closure process and ensure that as many of the current services as possible can be maintained through other partner agencies. Banbury will still have four family centres after the closure, two managed by the County Council:

• Britannia Road Family Centre in the centre of Banbury and
• CHUFF (Centre for Hardwick Under Fives and Families) on the Hardwick estate.

• The Sunshine Centre in the grounds of Neithrop Infant and Junior Schools (this centre receives no grant aid from the County) and
• Grimsbury Family Association, part of the East Street Centre which has recently gained Early Excellence status, which receives an annual grant from the County.

7. A further consideration is the building being vacated by the family centre. The Children's Society currently owns the building on land leased from the Methodist Church. It intends, 'in close discussion with the Methodist Church, to enable the building to be retained for continued use by the community, if an acceptable business consideration can be arrived at.' The Children's Society is inviting expressions of interest and will be holding a meeting with interested parties in the near future. Officers are currently considering what role the County Council might play in such an arrangement, including the possibility of temporary adoption and management of the family centre by the County Council while a longer term solution is investigated.

Review of Family Support Needs in Banbury

8. As a result of The Children's Society's withdrawal, officers will now conduct a review of family support needs in Banbury, and the Bretch Hill estate in particular, in order to assess the options for the re-allocation of the grant previously given to The Children's Society. The review will take place over the summer and will draw up recommendations for the re-allocation of funds from April 2003. These will be presented to the Executive in the early Autumn.
9. The review will be conducted by the Manager and Assistant Manager for Family and Community Support in consultation with:

• Heads of Banbury's four remaining family centres
• Banbury Social Services Children and Families Teams
• Senior Education Officer, Early Years and Childcare
• Education Officers and Heads of local schools
• Pupil Services
• Health Services
• Youth Service
• Youth Offending Team
• Area Head for Adult and Community Learning
• Representatives of local family and community support agencies, e.g. Banbury Home Start

10. The Children's Society will be holding a public meeting at the Family Centre on Tuesday 16th April, at 2pm to explain its decision to the users and the general public. Officers will be present to explain the County Council's response to the closure. A press release has recently been issued.

County Council Funding for Family Centres Across the County

11. The County Council supports the work of family centres in Oxfordshire by direct provision of 8 family centres and by partnership agreements with the providers of 6 voluntary family centres. In addition there are three other family centres run without grant aid, in Banbury (Sunshine Centre), Faringdon (Spurgeon's Trust) and Carterton (Mind Family Support). At the time of the County Council's review of family centres in 1997/98 members were concerned that there were some parts of the County with relatively low levels of family support in relation to their needs, compared with others, such as parts of Oxford and Banbury, with higher levels. The Review Group was keen to ensure that all families in need should be able to access family support services in their locality and that family centres should offer outreach services to families beyond their immediate catchment areas. When considering how to use the £41,990 currently being granted to The Children's Society, officers and members will need to bear in mind the needs of families in the county as a whole as well as the needs of families in Banbury.

Impact on Those Living in Poverty and Social Disadvantage

10. Banbury Family centre has served some of the most needy and poorest areas of Banbury for the last 17 years. Its closure will put in jeopardy services to some of the county's neediest children and families. All family centres in the county seek to offer support to all families while targeting those living in poverty and social disadvantage. The process for the re-allocation of funds previously granted to The Children's Society will need to take into account county indices of poverty and multiple deprivation to ensure that funds are directed towards the neediest groups and communities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

12. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to instruct officers to:

1. convey to The Children's Society the County Council's regret at the closure of the Banbury Family Centre and its appreciation of the valuable and innovative contribution it has made to the lives of needy families in Banbury over the last 17 years;
2. conduct a review of the need for family support in Banbury in order to assess options for the re-allocation of the sum previously allocated to Banbury Family Centre, taking into account both the need to sustain existing services provided by the Family Centre and the need to ensure equitable provision of support to needy families across the county as a whole;
3. report to the Executive in the early autumn with recommendations for the re-allocation of funds for the year 2003-04;
4. make such interim arrangements as are appropriate to ensure continuity and transition of family support services for the Bretch Hill area in 2002-03 following the withdrawal of The Children's Society.