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West Oxfordshire hub for young people and families opened

Published 26 June 2012

A brand new facility which is delivering a range of services for young people and families in West Oxfordshire has been officially opened.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader, Oxfordshire County Council; Louise Casey CB, Head of the Troubled Families Team, Department for Communities and Local Government; Maria Godfrey, Early Intervention Manager, Oxfordshire County Council; Jackie Woods, Community Hub Worke; Annelies Henshall, West Oxfordshire Early Intervention Hub Manager, Oxfordshire County Council with two young visitors to the hub.

The West Oxfordshire Early Intervention Hub has been in operation since May was officially opened by Louise Casey Head of the Troubled Families Team at the Department for Communities and Local Government and Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council. Photos of the event.

The county council launched its Early Intervention Service in September 2011 with several services for children, young people and families that had previously operated independently of each other coming together under one management structure to provide a seamless service.

These services include the youth service, elements of the Youth Offending Service that deal with prevention, work focused on young people not in education, employment or training, parenting development and substance misuse.

Seven hubs and seven satellite centres operate throughout the county to deliver these services – with a brand new one having been created at Witan Way in Witney.

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We changed our service back in September last year; We put £1 million pounds investment into this hub, And of course we put an additional £1.6 million across the youth service, Across the county, really providing good services for everybody.

The important thing about this hub is that it is the fact that it is open all day; So we’re getting the families during the day, So they can come along have coffee, have a chat, talk to people, and find out all the issues. And, actually, it’s a one stop shop, because it’s not just about the normal children problems; We’ve brought all our services together, to really make sure we’re proving good services for everybody.

All credit to the staff, who are actually providing the plans; Of course, we have had to make reductions to our budget, because, obviously everybody knows the financial situation. But, by redesigning the service, we’ve actually brought all the services together;

We’ve reduced the management costs, and, actually, we’ve increased our sessions by 14%, which is really good news for the youth of Oxfordshire.

 

Thank you very much, and welcome to Witney Early Intervention Hub. It’s a really fantastic building, and it’s a very exciting day for us all.

This is an opportunity, to celebrate not only our ambitions for the new service, and not just this fantastic new building, but importantly also the people who are benefitting from it, And that’s the real main message, those people who are going to benefit.

We, all of us, will only succeed, if people like you, the workers, the staff, the managers, the people that do the gardens, the leadership, the political leadership, the cross party, in terms of health, crime, everything else, leadership All believe that we are going to help people everywhere.

The West Oxfordshire Hub is a great example of what Government and local councils can achieve when they work together.

This new building, and the important services it will deliver for families and young people, Highlights the Government and Oxfordshire County Council’s commitment to early intervention.

Hubs like this help families and young people get the support they need to tackle the problems that are stopping them from getting on in life. I look forward to seeing how this new building and all who work tirelessly within it will help build a brighter future for local families.

We changed our service back in September last year; We put £1 million pounds investment into this hub, And of course we put an additional £1.6 million across the youth service, Across the county, really providing good services for everybody.

The important thing about this hub is that it is the fact that it is open all day; So we’re getting the families during the day, So they can come along have coffee, have a chat, talk to people, and find out all the issues. And, actually, it’s a one stop shop, because it’s not just about the normal children problems; We’ve brought all our services together, to really make sure we’re proving good services for everybody.

All credit to the staff, who are actually providing the plans; Of course, we have had to make reductions to our budget, because, obviously everybody knows the financial situation. But, by redesigning the service, we’ve actually brought all the services together;

We’ve reduced the management costs, and, actually, we’ve increased our sessions by 14%, which is really good news for the youth of Oxfordshire.

 

Thank you very much, and welcome to Witney Early Intervention Hub. It’s a really fantastic building, and it’s a very exciting day for us all.

This is an opportunity, to celebrate not only our ambitions for the new service, and not just this fantastic new building, but importantly also the people who are benefitting from it, And that’s the real main message, those people who are going to benefit.

We, all of us, will only succeed, if people like you, the workers, the staff, the managers, the people that do the gardens, the leadership, the political leadership, the cross party, in terms of health, crime, everything else, leadership All believe that we are going to help people everywhere.

The West Oxfordshire Hub is a great example of what Government and local councils can achieve when they work together.

This new building, and the important services it will deliver for families and young people, Highlights the Government and Oxfordshire County Council’s commitment to early intervention.

Hubs like this help families and young people get the support they need to tackle the problems that are stopping them from getting on in life. I look forward to seeing how this new building and all who work tirelessly within it will help build a brighter future for local families.

Troubled families agenda

Along with all of the other Early Intervention centres in Oxfordshire, the hubs and satellites, including West Oxfordshire, will be the locations at which the Government’s initiative to work with trouble families will managed locally.

The Government’s initiative is centred on helping those families who have a combination of the following factors: no parent in work, poor quality housing, no parent with qualifications, mother with mental health problems, one parent with longstanding disability/illness, family with low income, family cannot afford some food/clothing items.

What facilities are there at the Witney hub

The hub cost £1m to build. It contains a music room, a lounge with a pool table, television and games consuls, a kitchen, an outdoor sports area, an art room and a training room.

The hub provides youth sessions, dance and music sessions, babysitting courses, parenting advice, drop in sessions for young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), parenting advice and young carers sessions.

Oxfor​dshire’s other Early Intervention Service facilities

The hubs are based at the following locations

  • The Net, Stratton Way, Abingdon,
  • Banbury Youth Centre, Hilton Road, Banbury,
  • The Courtyard Youth Arts Centre, Launton Road, Bicester
  • The Vibe Youth Centre, Park Road, Didcot,
  • Union Street Centre for Young People, Union Street, East Oxford
  • Oxford Academy Campus, Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, Oxford

There are satellite centres that work to the hubs at the following locations

  • Barton Neighbourhood Centre, Underhill Circus, Headington,
  • Rose Hill Youth Centre, The Oval, Oxford,
  • Blackbird Leys Youth Centre, Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford,
  • Riverside Centre, Donnington Bridge Road, Oxford,
  • The Campus c/o Abbey Sports Centre, Green Furlong, Berinsfield,
  • The Forum Youth Centre, Oxford Road, Kidlington.

Youth provision is also being delivered at Gloucester Green, Oxford.

Fresh and modern

Councillor Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and the Voluntary Sector said: “The Early Intervention Service has been welcomed all over the county and we have been seeing really positive outcomes for children and families as a result of the joined up early intervention approach.

“The facilities at Witney are fantastic and children and families are already benefiting from them. The hub is fresh and modern and that is reflective of a fresh and modern Early Intervention Service across the county.

“A lot of hard work went in to working with children and families to discover what they wanted from services provided for them and we have begun to reap the rewards throughout the county in recent times. It has been incredibly uplifting to see our Early Intervention Service go from strength to strength and it is becoming a powerful influence and part of day to day life in Oxfordshire. That’s certainly already the case in West Oxfordshire and I look forward to the new hub becoming more and more embedded in the local community. That will include providing the local part of the Government’s national work with troubled families.”

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