MORE than 40 children's centres across the county could be scrapped and replaced under a radical shake-up to save £8m, it was announced today.

Along with its seven early intervention hubs, Oxfordshire County Council has proposed replacing the entire network of children's centres with eight 'family and resources centres'.

Three would be based in Oxford - in Barton, Blackbird Leys and Rose Hill - and the others in Banbury, Bicester, Witney, Abingdon, and Didcot.

The authority currently funds 44 children’s centres and seven early intervention hubs, spread across the county.

Children’s centres offer activities for under-fives, as well as information and support for parents, and early intervention hubs bring together services supporting children and families, targeting drug and alcohol use, teenage pregnancies and school exclusions, as well as youth unemployment.

Under new plans, the county council would halve the £16m it spends on children's centres and early intervention hubs and merge the remaining budget with the £4m in children's social care it spends on 'family support teams'.

This would create a new service covering youngsters up to the age of 19.

Cabinet member for children, education and families Melinda Tilley said there would also be a shift in focus from providing universal services to all families to helping the most vulnerable.

She added: "This would represent a brand-new start with new services, combining children's social care and the work of children's centres and early intervention centres more effectively.

"The number of buildings we use would reduce but we'd still be very much present in all communities.

"Clearly we would rather not be in the position of having to make such significant savings, however this is illustrative of the stark financial challenges councils in England are facing.

"The council needs to make tough decisions about how our reduced budget is best spent."

On September 15, senior councillors on the cabinet will be asked to back a consultation on the changes that is expected to begin later this month.

It will outline three options, with the creation of the eight new centres - with the saving of £8m - the council's "preferred option".

The second option involves continuing some universal services at the eight centres but reducing 'outreach' work, with the third involving just six centres and £1m in grant funding to support community-ran services for families.

The council said it could not say how many job losses would result in any of the three options, as some staff are expected to transfer to the new service.

But said it currently employs 433 people across its 44 children's centres and early intervention hubs - all of which would close under the preferred proposals.

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