CONCERNS for the future of children’s and parents’ welfare have been raised after it was announced Evergreen Children’s Centre’s opening hours would be slashed by almost half following funding cuts to Early Years provision across the county.
The move, which will no longer see the Malvern Link centre open on Mondays and Fridays, has triggered fear among parents who believe this is the start of the process towards the centre shutting down for good.
The Worcester Road site will open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only from December 1 following Worcestershire County Council’s decision to proceed with cuts of more than £3million to its early years budget.
The charity Action for Children, which runs the centre, says it is doing everything it can to keep the centre open until its lease for the building expires in late 2017.
But nothing was said about its future beyond that point – leaving many fearing the worst long-term.
Mum-of-one Penny Broderick, who told the Observer earlier this year that the centre saved her life, said: “It seems to be the beginning of the end.
“It’s important Evergreen stays open even it is for three days a week but this setback is going to have a profound knock-on effect.”
She added: “People don’t realise there is no other regular service that sees parents on a regular basis. Only the staff who work in these centres are in a position to see the changes to a child each week – there is nobody else in Malvern who can tell if your child is behaving in a certain way.
“And for a lot of parents that is the only place they go.”
Evergreen provides a valuable resource for parents in Malvern as it runs family support sessions, baby and toddler activities, antenatal sessions, stay and play sessions, breastfeeding support and providing access to employment and training information.
In July Action for Children said the centre would remain open for the ‘foreseeable future’ following strong concern from a number of parents who received a letter which said the centre would close on October 1.
But the letter was soon retracted for ‘political reasons’.
Following the letter scandal, Action for Children said it was working with the cash-strapped council on a ‘transition plan’ to maximise service delivery for families.
Vanessa Cole, Action for Children’s head of service for Malvern Hills, said: “We are committed to keeping Evergreen Children’s Centre open until the end of the lease next year.
“During that time we will continue to provide the best service we possibly can to the children and families we support in the Malvern area.”
But West Worcestershire Labour chairman Daniel Walton, who has spoken against the cuts from day one, said he felt the centre’s existence was coming to an end.
“Worryingly, this is the thin edge of the wedge and is proof the cuts are already starting to come into effect,” he said.
“It’s a three-day week from December but it won’t be long before Evergreen Children’s Centre is not there for definite.”
Worcestershire County Council will hand over leases to a number of children centre buildings, which it owns, to schools and child care providers.
