ITEM CA10
CABINET - 21 OCTOBER 2008
CHILDREN’S CENTRES 2008-11 CAPITAL PROGRAMME
Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families
Introduction
1. A previous report Children’s Centres 2008-11 was considered and approved on 19 February 2008. This included the strategy for capital funding to phase 3 centres to that date. This has now developed further and member support is sought for the updated strategy.
2. The report is submitted
· to briefly outline progress to date and proposals for the way forward · to seek approval for the strategy of capital allocations and the proposed indicative funding for each project
Corporate Policy and Other Implications
Council’s Objectives
3. Our approach is based upon the council’s objectives of real choice and value for money. The previous report described the consultation process used to inform our development planning and ensure that the services we are developing meet the expressed needs and wishes of individual communities and offer choices about how and where services are developed.
4. In developing the capital program, we are using the county council’s standard procedures to ensure value for money in developing individual projects and are working with the voluntary sector to build on and develop existing facilities rather than duplicating services.
Equality and Inclusion
5. These issues are at the heart of the Children’s Centre programme. In agreeing locations for Children’s Centres we have responded to the consultation and have taken note of where needs are greatest in the community. In developing the capital programme we are working to promote access and equality.
Sustainability Implications
6. The capital programme will meet environmental impact requirements
Capital Funding
7. The DCSF has made a 3 year capital grant of £5,551,833 available for Children’s Centres over 2008-11. This funding is time limited to March 2011 and schemes need to be completed by this date.
8. The DCSF have also made additional capital grants available to:
· support the development of extended schools; half of the capital grant available, a sum of £1,205,500, has been made available to this programme to contribute to developments on school sites which will meet both the Children’s Centre and extended services agendas. We have identified 8 projects on school sites where Children’s Centres can join up with this funding stream · 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; · enable PVI providers to deliver the extension to the free offer for 3 and 4 year olds. To date we have identified one project where there is potential to join up with this funding stream.
9. The primary capital programme does not come on line until April 2009 so it has not been possible to join up with this funding stream.
Financial and Staffing Implications
10. Resources for staffing are being met within existing teams and budgets. Additional expertise from within the county council is sought as necessary; no additional resources are requested.
Progress to date Including Proposed Indicated Capital Allocation
11. See Annex 1 (download as .doc file) for a brief update on progress in each area and proposed indicative capital allocations. Fees and contingency are allocated across the overall programme rather than set against each project. These are early estimates as we have not identified sites in all areas and feasibility studies have yet to be completed. Areas where we have not yet identified a location for the centre are also indicated in this annex.
12. It is clear from the analysis done to date that the capital funding available will not support spending on the hub and satellite model as previously proposed. Although it will be important for Children’s Centres to deliver services across their catchment area, it is not anticipated there will be funding to support the improvement of premises in satellite areas.
13. An exception to the above has been made in Watlington and Chalgrove Children’s Centre where the two schools are jointly managing the Children’s Centre and where improvements to both sites would enable the schools to be used both for Children’s Centre and extended services activities.
14. A sum has been set aside for mobile facilities to meet the needs of children and families in rural areas without easy access to local services. Proposals are being developed but it is anticipated a mobile library and information service will be one way of reaching families who are isolated and not able to access other Children’s Centre services. In addition, the contract with the Oxfordshire Playbus and Banbury Bus has been extended and they will be delivering services across the county in rural areas. The Rural Children’s Centre Project will continue to have a role co-ordinating these countywide services.
Risk Assessment
15. A risk assessment for the capital programme has been carried out.
16. In Phase 2 Children’s Centres were developed from or on premises that were used for related purposes and most are owned by Oxfordshire County Council. In Phase 3 it has been more challenging to identify suitable premises in appropriate locations. However, Oxfordshire has a strong tradition of working with private, public and voluntary sector partners and we are fortunate that these links have enabled us to secure premises for the majority of our centres. This will mean that in some cases more complex legal and lease agreements will be required than previously.
17. There are two aspects of risk that were not present in phase 2 because in this phase we propose to invest more extensively in premises that are not owned by the county:
(i) A requirement of the DCSF capital grant is that the recipient local authority will ensure that capital expenditure on Children’s Centres will result in premises that will be available to provide services for children and young people for the next 25 years. This means that we could be asked to make capital repayment of the grant to the DCSF if we cannot meet this condition.
(ii) the current tranche of Children’s Centre revenue funding is allocated until March 2011, and so there could be a potential additional revenue liability to the Council beyond the 3 year funding if we were unable to negotiate appropriate break clauses in contracts.
18. In most cases where we need to invest in a non OCC building the County Council proposes to lease whole or part of the building, and in turn to grant an under lease to the service provider, with appropriate break clauses. This would mitigate the above risks. However, where the service provider is already in occupation and owns the building or has an existing relationship with the owner of the building, a lease to the County Council may not be appropriate. The two projects that this possibility applies to are Henley (NOMAD, developing the Rainbow Children’s Centre, £150,000) and Wantage (PACT, at the Butler Centre £65,000) which are both church owned. There are significant benefits in investing in these premises – response to public consultation, real choice, value for money, and working in partnership with the voluntary sector. In these cases, if we are unable to negotiate a suitable contractual arrangement we will realign capital funding streams to enable us to meet the terms of the DCSF capital grant.
19. Annex 2 gives details of the property ownership and the assessed level of risk resulting from the ownership
20. The Children’s Centre programme is recognised as a long term commitment, being defined in the Childcare Act 2006 as the mechanism for delivery of integrated services to under 5’s and their families. The government are now consulting on proposals to give Sure Start Children’s Centres a specific statutory legal basis, as part of the forthcoming Education and Skills Bill. There are currently 3000 Children’s Centres established across the country with a further 1500 planned. The risk of funding being withdrawn after the current allocation of grant funding is considered to be low.
21. CYP&F, having considered the advice from property and legal services, propose that the benefits of provision of services that are more likely to improve outcomes for children and families, and espouse the Council’s values of real choice and value for money, outweigh the identified risks. Everything possible has and will continue to be done to mitigate risks where they occur, in line with the risk assessment annex 2 (download as .doc file).
RECOMMENDATION
22. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to endorse the revised approach and proposals contained within this report
JANET TOMLINSON Director for Children Young People & Families
Background papers: Risk Assessment
Contact officers: Amanda Smith, Assistant Head of Service, Children and Families - Tel (01865) 456743 Clare Abolins, Service Manager – Children’s Centres - Tel (01235) 549290 October 2008
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