Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to maintain the current provision of children's centre services.

The Department for Education will be launching an open consultation in the autumn about children’s centre services. This will be a consultation that will offer parents, carers, local authorities and key stakeholders the opportunity to influence and drive what we expect from children’s centre services and where we see them collectively having the greatest impact. This consultation will not just be about the children’s centre buildings but focus on what they provide as part of the integrated services for children and families locally, what outcomes they should achieve and what accountability framework is needed to best demonstrate impact.

Local authorities have duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet local need and to ensure they consult before any significant changes are made. They are best placed to determine the delivery models and service offering in relation to children’s centres that best meet the needs of their local community.