As parents, professionals, volunteers and concerned citizens, we are calling on Leicester City Council to drop its proposal to close six of its twelve Children Young People and Family Centres (CYPFCs) – now also known as Family Hubs.
This proposal, if actioned, would have a profound, lasting, and hugely detrimental impact on our city, now and for the future.
The impact would affect all of us - but would be felt most severely by the most vulnerable in our communities: babies and children, new mothers and parents, those facing disadvantage and health inequalities, those struggling with the day-to-day challenges of bringing up a family in the face of poverty, stress, anxiety, poor health, poor housing, lack of affordable and accessible transport, and much more.
With Leicester rated 4th nationally for the numbers of children living in poverty, and schools facing unprecedented numbers of 4 and 5 year olds struggling with the basics of communication and toilet training, and with mental health services stretched beyond their capacity, closing these lifelines for parents, mothers, children and babies seems beyond foolhardy.
What we want our City Councillors to know –
● Children’s Centres are vital assets that serve families with babies and young children. They belong to our city and those who live here.
● Once they are closed, the impact will be far reaching, not just for families now, but in the future. Once they are gone, they are lost forever.
● Children’s Centres are safe, purpose-built places where families with babies and young children can access key services that are of fundamental importance to their and their child’s health, well-being, education, and development. This includes health visitor clinics, child development checks, parenting classes, Stay & Play, antenatal classes, midwifery appointments, welfare advice clinics, toy loans, book loans, Baby Feeding support, Early Help Support, and more
● The aim of children’s centres is that all families in the city have an accessible venue that is easily reached from their home. Already since the last round of closures of 11 centres in 2018, this accessibility has been significantly restricted. Reducing the number of centres from 12 to 6 will mean that the majority of families will no longer have a children’s centre within 15 minutes of their home. This will hit poorer families the most.
● The impact of the cost of living crisis has impacted disproportionately on young families in Leicester. Our city has the fourth highest number of children living in poverty in the UK. Children’s Centres provide a warm, welcoming safe place, especially important to the increasing number of families living in crowded, poor quality accommodation, and especially those in temporary accommodation.
● Children’s centres allow space, activities and equipment for children to play and explore, and most have an outside area too. This is important for their development. Many families are unable to offer this at home.
● Staff in children’s centres know us and our children. They give us a warm welcome, understand and remember us, ask how we are. They watch out for us, and spot when things are not right. This keeps babies and young children safe.
Please sign our petition and invite your family, colleagues and friends to sign too
Important! – Please read before signing:
To submit or sign a petition which is being submitted to the City Council, you are required to live, work or study in the city of Leicester. Therefore if you are not a resident in the city, please put the name and address of your workplace or educational establishment to enable your signature to be counted.
Your Data and personal information –
Save our Children’s Centres Leicester is a group of parents, women and colleagues who have come together on a voluntary basis to campaign to challenge the proposals for closing these centres. Leicester Mammas and Heads Up Leicester are city-based organisations that work with pregnant and new parents, and have agreed to be curators of the petition.
Your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than for this petition. Leicester Mammas and Heads Up Leicester will not use or share any personal information or details for any purpose. You can read the Data Protection Policies for Leicester Mammas here – Privacy Policy (mammas.org.uk) and for Heads Up Leicester here - Privacy Policy (headsupleicester.org.uk)