"Chilwell, Beeston and Stapleford Surestart centres"

I have been using Surestart now for 5 years and have been extremely impressed by the service. It has allowed me as a stay at home Dad, to get out and to let my children interact with other children, parents and staff at your centres. It has also allowed me to be feel like more than just a parent, the staff throughout have been helpful, pleasant and caring. They have supported us as a family through challenging times, and I consider the Pop in and Play session on a Wednesday as a highlight to the week, as it gives us structure, allows both me and the children to meet with other families and to both give and receive support and advice as we go along. Many people find parenthood a joy, but being realistic, it can also be a real challenge, and Surestart has been ever-present through the journey.

I have seen the service face it’s own challenges, and it appears the focus seems to have shifted away from the centre and possibly reaching out a little more. This has had a knock on effect at the group sessions, perhaps less staff available, certainly the Pop in and Play has suffered in that the room was split previously to accommodate babies and toddlers. We also would see a lot more ‘messy play’, something that a lot of us welcomed, as it was in a safe environment, and more importantly for me, not in my house (therefore a lot less stressful). Children need to be able to do these things and be encouraged to do so, it’s not so easy if you’re at home with one or more, to organise this, but the centre allowed children to explore these activities.

So it is with great sadness that it was announced that the centre will now be closed on Wednesday to accommodate staff training, not just at Chilwell, but all the local groups. In the past if one centre was shut, I would try and attend another group to give myself a break and to allow my child the time to interact with others. Whilst I understand the need for CPD for staff, perhaps the way you have gone about communicating and actioning this hasn’t been handled at all well. I am writing this not just on my behalf, but for the many others who are genuinely upset about this.

Surestart have done so much good for the community at large, yet in recent weeks have really upset some families in their approach to communicating things. An example of this is the school holidays. The centre has always operated on a system whereby it is open to all and all year round. I know I have dropped in at times when I have needed a break, the centre was open and the room available for my child to explore and run around. I might then have been able to have a chat with staff, who could offer some advice and even a shoulder to cry on if need be.

We were told that due to activities being held in the community the sessions wouldn’t be running, however the assumption was, as it has always been, that the centre would remain open. Parents were more than willing to continue to come along as normal and run the session themselves. This happened for a couple of weeks, and then at the end of one session, was told the centre would now be closed, but would re-open after the summer. It was very much a last minute communication and left many people upset that they wouldn’t be able to attend and that no other options were explored. It was left to me to have to find an alternative venue, which we did for the remaining weeks of the holiday.

We then came back to Surestart to be greeted with a poster to say, closed today. Nowhere on-line was this communicated prior, and it really did put the backs up of people. So with great sadness the Wednesday session has now been cancelled as well. This has been a mainstay within the community, something I have always recommended. It really feels like all the hard work you have put in over the years is being ruined by decisions which don’t seem to have been thought through properly. Many of us would happily have continued to attend on a Wednesday and run the group as a parent-led session. This was offered but at the very last minute, and even then only 2 sessions a month. I had to decline as I would have preferred to have spoken with the other parents. This group needs to continue on a weekly basis, as it provides so much more than play time for the children. It is a support network, it is a friendship group to both adults and children, and it also welcomes new people into the community.

The feedback you received last year clearly shows

• Regular weekly sessions available so answers can be readily answered

• Always a positive atmosphere where all Babies/children are valued. An excellent set of groups to attend. We enjoy coming

• Always available to drop in

• It gave me confidence and a healthy lifestyle at home and bringing up my child

support and advice - my child enjoys himself and is looked after well by staff

• Personal service people know/remember who you are: ) Staff are always friendly

The front line staff are a credit to the centre, however it feels decisions are being made from above where targets seem more important than the human element.

I feel things need to be communicated properly and perhaps even take on some advice/feedback from the end users (parents). Perhaps a representative from Parents and Staff to meet to discuss concerns or limitations. In previous years the questionnaire was prevalent, probably handed out too much, but now there doesn’t seem to be any questions.

In conclusion, I would ask that you consider re-opening the centre on Wednesdays, perhaps find alternative location for staff training, especially as it appears you will be shutting all the centres on those days. I don’t believe there were sessions running in those centres on those days anyway. If it is a case of ‘Health and Safety’, then my understanding is that an assessment must have been made previously, otherwise the centre would not have operated on a ‘pop-in’ basis. I’m sure there would be enough parents to take on these sessions and would happily attend any training that may be required. I am obviously talking about the Chilwell centre mainly, however in closing your other centres on these Wednesdays seems a bit draconian, in that you are limiting numbers able to attend your centres across the board. If your focus is on the community and reaching out, then surely once you have done that, they would like/need somewhere to go, and that is what your centres offer.