Proposals for improved Children Centres will help the most disadvantaged Sheffield young, according to Sheffield City Council.

The model will turn the Children Centre areas into Family Centre areas by adding facilities that cater to those from pre-birth to 19 years old instead of the current age limit of five. The lead building addresses will be based in the 20% most disadvantaged city areas.

Jayne Ludlam, Executive Director for Children, Young People and Families at Sheffield City Council, said: “This is really good news for Sheffield.  Building on the strength of our early years work, the proposed changes will allow more people to access support through increased outreach and partnership work, helping those families who need it the most to get the help that they need.”

“These changes are categorically not about closing children’s centres. This will not happen.”

“We will continue to invest in our children, young people and families, and these changes will make sure we can improve the range of services that we offer across the city.”

The model is based on the achievement of common outcomes between the Centres and it hopes to provide services across Sheffield from link and outreach sites, including community venues and in the home.

It will be dividing the city into seven geographical areas and each area will include a main centre and a linked centre for service delivery across the locality.

The seven localities include: Early Days, Firth Park, Darnall, Shortbrook, Valley Park, and Primrose and the following sites will be linked to Angram Bank, Burngreave, Brightside, Woodthorpe, Chancet Wood, and Shooters Grove respectively.

Centres are designated in those addresses in order to meet a statutory duty and to be regulated and inspected by Ofsted under the current inspection framework for Children’s Centres.