Facilities for children need to be strengthened in rural areas- not closed. Jackie has been working with local residents to find funding so that Children’s Centres could help with this

Update: 20th Jan 2013

Now you can use your local children’s centre which is run by Action for Children
If you live in
the Worthys- contact Reign and Shine in the grounds of Kings Worthy school
Alresford and surrounding villages- contact Sunbeams in the grounds of Sun Hill school, Alresford
Micheldever and Wonston: contact Snowdrops at Overton community Hall.
If you have any difficulty- contact Jackie via the contact section on this website

Jackie says

‘I was really disappointed that the campaign to save the Children Centres as they were wasn’t successful, but you can still get help if you need it. You can contact the Family Support Outreach workers at each site or go online to find out the classes running at the sites.

This was the original campaign….

Hampshire County Council is proposing radical changes for Children’s Centres.

They have placed a consultation on the website which continues until 14th March: STOP PRESS-now 15th APRIL

BUT before they hear from users, parents and chiildcare professionals, they have cut the budget for 2011-12 and drastically for 2012-13.

So is it a consultation, or a sham?

It has given me the opportunity to visit Children’s centres in a variety of settings and I am even more impressed now.

In Andover, a Forces Parents group has set up, also developmental classes for the first year, the second and third years too.

How I would have liked these: the antenatal lessons are all about having the baby, but learning about the way to look after a toddler would have been very useful.

‘Breast is best’ is a session which helps Mums to breastfeed sucessfully: so popular they are adding another weekly session.

In Alresford they have a Twins group. Parents of twins help each other in coping with ‘double trouble’. They do sessions for childminders too, as well as for those for whom English isn’t their first language. There have been requests for a Grannies & Grandads Group! Outreach to Four Marks and Medstead have started and baby weighing can be done at these sessions too.

The Children’s Centre at the Carroll Centre was having a nearly new sale when we popped in yesterday.

”All the Centres respond really well to local needs- so why change them when they are just starting out?” people ask. HCC say it’s to save admin and thus, money. Parents are saying that the service which is open to everyone can pick up problems and help parents which if unresolved, could be much worse and much more expensive long term.

The Save our Children’s Centres mums group is making a deputation at the County Council meeting on Thursday 24th Feb. Their website is: www.socchampshire.org.uk

There is also a March on the 7th March, leaving King Alfred’s Statue at 2pm. Please wear bright colours and be prepared to walk up to the County Offices at the top of the town!

But if you can’t do that, please go online and make your comments on the consultation before the 14th March.15th April

 http://www3.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/childrenandyoungpeople/childrens-centres/2011-consultation.htm