To be feeling bereft that Children's Centres may be closing...

[BootyMum]

I took my son to my local Children's Centre yesterday. I go once a fortnight to see a counsellor and am able to leave my son in their creche [free of charge] for this hour. I then feed DS his lunch in the lovely sunny room that has highchairs provided and I get to have a chat with the other Mums as well. Then DS and I go to the Play 'n' Stay where he enjoys the play equipment and running around outdoors [we don't have much of a garden at home so this is fantastic for him].

I go to this CC usually around once or twice a week now that my son is 16 months old for various activities but when DS was a small baby I went more often for breast feeding support, conversation with other Mums, Health Visitor support, etc. They were a lifeline to me as I adjusted and adapted to life with a new baby and in moving from full-time work to SAHM.

Anyway yesterday I was told by the manager of the CC that come October they may not exist anymore. Therefore the staff are existing in limbo and are unable to make any plans at this point as to future events or activities at the centre until a final decision is reached re budget.

I am feeling quite sad at this [although I knew that it was possible that this might happen with budget cuts everywhere re public services]. I feel my local CC was/is an essential service and offers lots of valuable support and advice for parents. But cuts must be made and the deficit reduced and I guess this may be an expensive service to run...?

AIBU?

Oh that's awful, I didn't realise children's centres were going to close down? I thought budget cuts were imminent for sure, but closing down? Surely not? Anyone know?

I think children's centres are wonderful & absolutely useful in their communities (I've worked as a volunteer in one for a while) & it's shameful if there's a plan to close them down...

YANBU. Using the CC was a total lifeline for me. Meeting other mums etc. If I hadn't gone I wouldn't have any of the friends I have now.

YANBU

I love ours. We used to go nearly everyday when DD was smaller and I was looking forward to going again after the summer and taking my new baby when it's born in February.

DD has learned so much from the groups and gained so much confidence. I know quite a few women who wouldn't have got through their PND if it wasn't for the centres.

I'm a bit though. They haven't mentioned any closures in our area as yet. In fact they've just opened a new one...

i have to say there seem to be far too many being built here and staff are paid quite alot. would anger me if they got rid of provisions for older children yet kept some of the cc's open.

they must cost a fortune to run.

OP Yanbu @ all, i would be so gutted if ours closed. I did ask @ one of ours after reading that other thread but they didnt know anything about it, so hopefully not?
I really hope they don't close your children's centre (and mine)
They should just charge some things, maybe cut down a little bit if they have to, but not shut them down or stop people going. What a waste if they do close them, after all the money it must have cost to have them done up in the first place... crazy
what borough are you in btw, or do you not want to say? cos its the first one i've heard of that they've been told they're closing

I'm in Greenwich, London.
The manager didn't say they were definitely closing but I think they are uncertain at the moment what budget cuts are coming. Could mean drastically reduced services or potentially closure... But perhaps is best to think positively at this point. I find it somewhat reassuring that so many of you haven't heard of this happening with your local CCs. so perhaps the manager at mine was just catastrophising... Here's hoping!

I think all of us- and people working in Sure Start centres even more, probably- are feeling all this anxiety about potential cuts. But yes let's be a bit positive for now & hopeful it'll just be that some things will be charged etc, and not full closure. Frankly, I would be very very surprised if they did close them on a large scale because as Firawla has said it would be a huge huge waste if that were to happen.

the childrens centre has acted as my safe haven for the past year, will be gutted if it goes

I know this will be unpopular, but I do think YAB a tiny bit U. My youngest dc is 8, and we never had sure start/childrens centres. We managed just fine. I know they do provide an excellent service though, and if I lived near one (which I don't) and had a very small lo, then I'm sure I'd use it and get lots of benefit. But apart from a small minority of Mums, I think people will just go back to doing what they did before. We organised get togethers amongst ourselves, met others at music groups or toddler groups, and read books or asked the HV if we needed specific advice. I think as long as bf clinics are still available, everything else is just a bonus.

But curlymama everything has been redesigned to link with CCentres since you had your children eg: HVs operate out of them, speech therapy, baby weighing etc to name a few.

I don't think they will close but I think their services might reduce. I've also heard a rumour that they might have to expand their remit ie: 0 - 19!! There's talk of running all children's services from them in the future.

I didn't realise that CCentres were linked to so much! We have a health centre type doctors surgery in our area, and they still do baby clinics out of there for weighing, HV, etc. I guess if there were more surgerys like that it wouldn't be so bad, but in reality that's unlikely to happen