Excerpts from the press release:
The true scale of the potential closures and cuts to Sure Start Children Centres has been laid bare today for the first time, with approximately 250 at risk of closing within a year; a further 2,000 cutting back the services they offer to families and 1,000 Centres issuing 'at risk of redundancy notices' to staff.
The findings of a new survey of Sure Start Children's Centre Managers across England, carried out by 4Children and Daycare Trust, provides the first national data on the impact of cuts and has prompted the national charities to raise to the alarm. The charities warn that closing Children's Centres risks withdrawing crucial support for families at a time when there is a growing consensus that giving children the best start in life can tackle intergenerational disadvantage and reduce the cost of social failure.
The charities are calling on Local Authorities to do more to prioritise funding for Sure Start Children's Centres - whose budget was protected in cash terms in the Government's Spending Review, though the ring-fencing of the money was removed.
The national survey suggests that over the next 12 months:
- 250 (7%) will close or are expected to close, affecting an estimated 60,000 families
- 2,000 (56%) will provide a reduced service
- 3,100 (86%) will have a decreased budget
- Staff at 1,000 centres (28%) have been issued with 'at risk of redundancy' notices