Children's centres

Information for all parents-to-be, mums, dads and families with children under 5:

• search for childcare in Camden

Services

• family support service
  Welcome phone calls and visits to you in your own home to help you and your child get the services you want and need, support for dads
• health advice and services
  Midwifery services and support, baby feeding and weaning support, baby massage, access to health visitors’ child health clinics, healthy eating advice, emotional support for you (1:1 and in groups), parenting classes, help with your child’s speech and language development or behaviour, help for children with disabilities / special needs, dental advice and help to stop smoking
• information and advice
  Help to find training and work, information and advice on benefits, home safety, childcare and starting school
• activities near you
  Drop-ins and crèches, rhyme time, story telling and singing sessions.
• download: Drop-ins and crèches for children under 5s (887KB)
• local community events and meetings
  Your chance to meet other parents

Proposed changes to early years services

The Early Years service must make savings of £3.2m. The areas that make up these savings are

• Re-organisation of children’s centre services and closure of two children’s centres (Caversham and Acol), saving £1.4m
• Reduction in the number of free, full time nursery places for three and four-year olds, saving £1.1m
• Reduction in subsidy to children under three years old through a 10% increase in fees, saving £0.1m
• Reducing grants to community nurseries and drop ins, saving £0.6m.

What happens next?

The savings proposals for early years set out above were approved by Cabinet on 8 June:

• Decision on Savings Proposals for Early Years Service

Three consultations were carried out regarding the changes in early years – the first concerned the closure of two Children’s Centres (Caversham and Acol) and the second the wider changes to early years services. 

The results of these consultations can be found the in report to Cabinet:

• Decision on Savings Proposals for Early Years Service

The third consultation focused on the reduction to the number of free full time nursery places from September 2012.  The decision about how this reduction should be implemented was taken by the lead member for Children, Schools and Families on the 19 July 2011:

• report and consultation analysis

Play service consultation

The consultation closed on 31 October 2011.

A report on the proposed closure of Council run play services by 31 March 2011 is due to be signed off on 11 November 2011.

• 2011 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment
• Early Years proposals