Decision details

To consider the report of Cabinet Member for Children Services seeking approval to refurbish 315 Coxford Road for the Integrated Family Assessment and Intervention Service.

This report will be going to Council for approval on 20^th November 2013.

(i)  To approve, subject to Council approval on 20th November 2013, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, capital expenditure of £247,000 in 2013/14 from the Children’s Services Capital Programme to carry out works at 315 Coxford Road.

(ii)  To delegate authority to the Director of People, following consultation with the Head of Legal, and Democratic Services, to do anything necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report including but not limited to entering into contracts for goods and service subject to compliance with contract and financial procedure rules.

1. 315 Coxford Road has been identified as the most suitable building in the Children’s Services Directorate accommodation portfolio to amalgamate and co-locate three services to provide a range of direct support, assessment and supervised contact to children, young people and their families.
2. Some modifications and alterations will be required to 315 Coxford Road to bring it back up to specification for service use and modify the water supply to ensure that any Health & Safety issues are avoided.
3. Capital works, previously agreed through the Children’s Capital Board need to be re-commissioned to meet Health & Safety requirements and energy efficiency targets.
4. Selling three vacated buildings will save the Directorate approximately £48,000 per year in ongoing revenue costs, and enable economies of scale and efficiencies in staffing and service provision which will benefit the Directorate and clients.  However, since the Council approved the closure of 3 buildings in the 2013-14 budget, these savings have already been taken into account in future revenue budgets.

1. Full Council approved the closure of 20 Salerno Road, 46 Peartree Road and 1 Sutherland Road in February 2013.  This resulted from the approved closure of the ‘Our House’ residential unit which was based at Salerno Road, and the anticipation that family centre work could be transferred to Children’s Centres.  Subsequently, a health and safety issue led to the closure of Coxford Road and the re-location of the Adolescent Resource Centre into Salerno Road.  In addition, a further review of the family centre service identified that a transfer of the full service to Children’s Centres was not appropriate.  A Health & Safety analysis has recently been undertaken at Derby Road and identified that significant work needs to be undertaken on the heating and cooling system which is estimated to cost in the region of £80,000 to upgrade
2. Considerations were made to refurbish Peartree Avenue, Forest View and Salerno Road these were rejected due to the service benefit of amalgamating and co-locate services to improve support and assessment to children, young people and their families and cumulative costs to refurbish three buildings as opposed to one.
3. Consideration was made to co-locate staff in the North Block of the Civic Centre this was rejected due to the nature of the service i.e. direct work with families, children and young people that couldn’t be facilitated in an office environment.

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