Issue - meetings

Report CEF20007

Bromley had six Children and Family Centres located in the areas of highest deprivation and supporting families through universal provision to targeted support and specialist services.  The Six Children and Family Centres were key hubs within their communities and since merging with Early Intervention and Family Support in 2012, usage had grown significantly, and they were embedded within the community and provided advice, support and interventions for families serving a large proportion of Bromley’s families.

The six Children and Family Centres had been operational and open to the public for a varying number of years, between 12 to 18 years, with the exception of Castlecombe which opened to public use in 2014.  Over this extended period of time there had been little to no investment in the fabric of the buildings and exterior play-areas.  Repairs had been undertaken to maintain the premises, but there had been no improvements or enhancements to the premises.  Over the past 10 years since the Children and Family Centres moved into Early Intervention and Family Support Services, there had been an expediential growth in the visits by families to the sites, reflecting the growth in the range of services operating from these premises.  In 2018/19, there were 99,982 visits across the six sites by over 25,000 unique individuals.  The increased footfall alone had an effect on the building itself and play-areas.  The centres now look ‘well-used’ and required investment to keep them operational, safe and inviting.

The Committee expressed support for the proposals.

In response to a question the Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care confirmed that, where necessary, temporary arrangements would be put in place to ensure the ongoing provision of services whilst the repair work was ongoing.

Members noted that it was likely that the extension to the Cotmandene Children and Family Centre would require planning permission and discussions would need to take place.

RESOLVED: That the Executive be recommended to

1.  Approve the capital bids outlined in this paper for the five named Children and Family Centres improvement works to the value of £1.42m. This is an increase to the capital programme of £250k as outlined in paragraph eight of this report.

2.  Approve the Capital Bids outlined in this paper for the Saxon Contact Centre DDA improvement work to the value of £160k.

3.  Approve proceeding to procurement, at an estimated overall value of £1.58m, for capital works contracts as detailed in this paper via a suitable compliant route; and to delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to finalise the procurement arrangements and approve any resulting Contract Awards in consultation with the Portfolio Holder.