Seashells Family Hub response
Published
Thursday 19 September, 2024
Updated
Friday 20 September, 2024
The leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Tim Gibson, has written to Kent County Council (KCC) in response to their Seashells Children’s Centre consultation.
In the letter the coalition leaders, Cllr Tim Gibson, Cllr Mike Baldock and Cllr Rich Lehmann, have expressed their concerns over KCC’s proposal to end their contract with Children & Families who deliver crucial Family Hub services from Seashells.
Sheerness Ward is one of the most deprived areas in the country, with 42% of children living in poverty, against the national average of 17%, with 28% of reception aged children being overweight.
The national average of babies being born to teenage mothers is 0.7%, but in Sheerness this is much higher at 2.4%.
Cllr Gibson wrote to KCC’s Cabinet Members for Integrated Children’s Services, to say the council does not support the current proposal due to the detrimental impact it will have on the residents within the borough.
Cllr Tim Gibson, Leader of Swale Borough Council, said:
“We are deeply concerned by the current Family Hub proposals being made by Kent County Council, so myself, and other party leaders have written to them to make that clear.
“Whilst we understand that they are in a difficult financial situation, as many councils are, the negative impact scrapping the contract with Children & Families will have on our residents will far outweigh any potential savings.
“Seashells provide important trusted services throughout people’s lives, from enabling young people to have the best start in life to helping adults build confidence and regain employment.
“Marginalised communities will be most impacted by the relocation of the Family Hub services to Sheppey Gateway - it will create unnecessary barriers to the free, open, impartial, and trusted services already being provided.
“By splintering the existing relationships with families, reducing the service offer, and creating a reliance on digital channels, this proposal will simply not be a good enough replacement for the current offer.
“KCC’s proposals show a lack of understanding for the local need of our community on the island, and we cannot understand why they would want to reduce crucial services in the short term, which will undoubtedly have a significant impact in the longer term, such as greater pressure on social services.
“We hope that KCC will work with us to find a more suitable solution for all, but we strongly oppose the current proposal.”
You can read the proposal and have your say here: https://letstalk.kent.gov.uk/family-hub-services-seashells-and-millmead by 22 September.
