Still time to have your say on Council's Early Years proposals

Still time to have your say on Council's Early Years proposals

There's still time for members of the public to have their say on the Council's proposed changes to early years services in Manchester.

The three month-long consultation is now at the half way stage, but meetings are still being held at Sure Start centres across the city, in order to reach as many people as possible.

The proposals come on the back of reductions to the Council's budget which mean it must find new ways of working.

Councillor Afzal Khan, Executive Member for Children's Services, said: "We have much less money to spend and need to ensure that we target it most effectively, focusing on those who need support the most.

"We want to do all we can to make sure more children are school ready and able to learn, and also to help more parents and carers access work.

"Changes have to be made but the new proposals, if agreed, will be introduced gradually over the next four years."

There are a number of parts to the proposals.

These include establishing a citywide outreach service - working closely with GPs, midwifery and health visiting services, and others - that will aim to visit every child at home during the child's first three years.

Staff will work from existing centres to identify at the earliest opportunity children and families who might need extra help.

Currently less than a third of families with young children in Manchester access Sure Start Centres. The outreach service aims to substantially increase this and has already proved successful in Ardwick where it has been piloted and where the service has made contact with over 80% of families in the area.

The Council intends to keep open and make better use of existing children's centre buildings so that they deliver a wide range of services to people of all ages, including early years services.  There is no proposal to close these buildings.

The Council will still ensure that 15 hours free day care is available for all three and four year olds with additional support for children and families who most need it.

At the moment however only one in ten day care places is directly provided by the Council at its Sure Start Centres, with the majority of Manchester parents using school nurseries, or private, voluntary, or independent day care for their children. An independent assessment showed that there are many spare day care places available across the city.
 
The Council therefore proposes to gradually withdraw from directly providing day care places by April 2014 and will look at each local area in detail to ensure enough places are available before it does so.

Mike Livingstone, Director Children's Services, Manchester City Council, said:  "We will continue to be responsible for ensuring high quality early years support is given at the right time, in the right place to the children and families who need it.

"The changes proposed are important, and it's vital we get things right. We want to hear views from parents, carers, staff who work with children, and anyone who has an interest in the preschool care and education of children."

Information sessions about the proposals will take place over the next couple of weeks at the following venues across the city:

15/11/2011 12:00 - 13:00 Burnage Sure Start Children's Centre Broadhill Road, Burnage, Manchester, M19 1AG

15/11/2011 17:30 - 18:30 Burnage Sure Start Children's Centre 

16/11/2011 12:30 - 13:30 Gorton North Sure Start Children's Centre (St James Primary School) St James Primary School, Stelling Street, Gorton, Manchester, M18 8LW

17/11/2011 15:30 - 16:30 Boxgrove Walk Children's Centre 1 Boxgrove Walk, Cheetham, Manchester, M8 7TN

18/11/2011 15:00 - 16:00 Crumpsall Sure Start Children's Centre 1 Cromhurst Street, Crumpsall, Manchester, M8 5FN

21/11/2011 11:00 - 12:00 Chorlton Park Sure Start Children's Centre (Barlow Hall School Site) Darley Avenue, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 7JG

21/11/2011 16:30 - 17:30 Clayton Sure Start Children's Centre (Wells Centre) 101 North Road, Clayton, Manchester, M11 4NE

21/11/2011 18:00 - 19:00 Royle Green Children's Centre 

22/11/2011 16:00 - 17:00 Levenshulme Sure Start Children's Centre 1 Broom Avenue, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 2UH

23/11/2011 16:30 - 17:30 Moss Side Sure Start Children's Centre 30 Selworthy Road, Moss Side, Manchester, M16 7UH

23/11/2011 18:00 - 19:00 Rusholme Sure Start Children's Centre 

24/11/2011 13:00 - 14:00 Newton Heath Sure Start Children's Centre  Great Newton St, Droylsden Road, Newton Heath, Manchester, M40 1GX

25/11/2011 16:00 - 17:00 Belthorne Children's Centre (Charlestown Sure Start) 30 Belthorne Avenue, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7DD

26/11/2011 12:00 - 13:00 Moss Side Sure Start Children's Centre 

28/11/2011 11:30 - 12:30 Charlestown Sure Start Children's Centre 21 Colmore Drive, Charlestown, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7GB

29/11/2011 12:30 - 13:30 Gorton South (Mount Road site), Sure Start Children's Centre 18 Mount Road, Gorton, Manchester, M18 7BG

30/11/2011 10:00 - 11:00 Claremont Sure Start Children's Centre Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester, M14 7NA

01/12/2011 16:00 - 17:00 Hallam Road Children's Centre (Newton Heath Sure Start) Hallam Road, Newton Heath, Manchester, M40 2SY

02/12/2011 10:30 - 11:30 Harpurhey Sure Start Children's Centre North City Family and Fitness Centre, Upper Conran Street, Harpurhey, Manchester, M9 4DA

03/12/2011 10:00 - 11:00 Charlestown Sure Start Children's Centre 

05/12/2011 10:00 - 11:00 Broadhurst Park Sure Start Children's Centre Broadhurst Park, Lightbowne Road, Moston, Manchester, M40 0FJ

06/12/2011 14:00 - 15:00 Moston Sure Start Children's Centre Adrian Street, Nr Lightbowne Road, Moston, Manchester, M40 5AE

07/12/2011 16:30 - 17:30 Wetherby Street Children's Centre Wetherby Street, Higher Openshaw, Manchester, M11 1NU

08/12/2011 16:00 - 17:00 Slade Lane Children's Centre 21 Slade Lane, Longsight, Manchester, M13 OQJ

09/12/2011 10:30 - 11:30 Higher Blackley Sure Start Children's Centre 160 Victoria Avenue, Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RN

For details or to submit comments on the proposals visit www.manchester.gov.uk/surestartchanges