Decision details

Date of Decision:

6^th August 2026

Title:

Proposal to deregister existing Children's Centres to enable the Council to move forward with the Family Hubs programme

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Nicola Curley, Executive Director, Children & Young People’s Services in consultation with Councillor Cusworth, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People

Details of Specific Delegation

or

Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

Cabinet Meeting Minutes - 13^th April 2026

Minute 146 refers

Approves a consultation on proposals to deregister the existing Children’s Centres to enable the Council to move forward with the Family Hubs programme and for the decision, based on the consultation, to be delegated to the Executive Director for Children and Young People’s Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.

Decision:

For RMBC to formally deregister Children’s Centres and for them to be rebranded in line with the Family Hubs programme

Reasons for the Decision:

Feedback is that the dual approach of retaining both Children’s Centres and Family Hubs is confusing for families, the children’s workforce, wider partners and elected members. Furthermore, it is contradictory to the aim of the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme, which is to transform the way services are delivered so that families are provided with the integrated support they need to care for their children from conception, throughout the early years, and into the start of adulthood, making sure they get the right help, at the right time, in an easy way.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

A second option for consideration by Cabinet was to continue with the current arrangement of both Children’s Centres and Family Hubs.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision Maker if they sit as a Cabinet appointed representative to an outside body which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Cabinet report dated 13^th April 2026 titled Family Hubs progress update and extension written by Kirsty Woodhead, Head of Service Family Help