Issue - meetings

Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme

Meeting: 23/01/2023 - Cabinet (Item 13)

13 Urgent Business - Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme pdf icon PDF 246 KB

Minutes:

The Chair agreed to accept an Item of Business, Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme as a matter of urgency in accordance with S.100 B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972; Urgent Cabinet approval was required to enable the Council to ensure the programme could start as soon as possible and the decision could not reasonably wait until the next Cabinet meeting.

 

Consideration was given to a report of the Managing Director, Children and Young People which sought approval of the receipt of funding from the Department for Education and Department of Social Care to support transition to a new model of care the principles and objectives of the Government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme.

Authorisation was also sought to delegate authority to agree all spending decisions related to the Family Hubs to the Director of Education and Early Years and the Director of Public Health after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, noting the role of a new Early Years and Early Help strategic partnership and the Children’s Transformation Board in this process.

Oldham was one of seventy-five local authorities pre-selected by the Department for Education (DfE) for the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. To enable the project Oldham Council was to receive an indicative allocation of £3.48 million over three financial years of 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.  The Oldham sign up form attached to this report detailed spending priorities identified for Oldham for this period.

A comprehensive delivery plan detailing indicative costings was completed with partners for submission to the DfE by the 31 December 2022 for final approval.

 

Options/alternatives considered

Option 1- Approve the recommendations set out in the report

Approve the receipt of the Family Hubs and Start for Life funding to support the transition to more integrated and accessible services that provide support to parents and carers and contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children and families

Option 2 - Do nothing. This will result in loss of funding for Oldham to deliver the Family Hub & Start for Life Programme

 

RESOLVED – That the Cabinet would consider the commercially sensitive information at Item 17 before making a decision.