The children’s centre building

The building will remain open and will be used to run some of our services. We will also run services from other venues in our  catchment area as we do now.

The notional catchment area (NCA)

Changes have been made to the area of Fareham served by Merryfields. The centre will now serve families in parts of Fareham North, parts of Fareham West, parts of Fareham East, Hill Head, and Stubbington.

Management of the centre

Merryfields is currently managed by Neville Lovett Community School. Hampshire County Council is looking for an organisation to manage all of the centres in the Fareham area, including Merryfields.

The organisation that wins the contract will manage four children’s centres that collectively serve the whole Fareham area:

• Merryfields

• Oak Meadow

• Keepsake

• Sovereign and Strawberry Meadow (two current centres merging)

Families will still be able to go to any children’s centre they choose that is convenient for them.

The children’s centre staff

Staff working directly with families will move across to the new organisation in order to maintain relationships and local knowledge. Therefore some of the staff working in the centre that you are familiar with will continue in their jobs.

With the new management structure, some administrative, managerial and finance jobs will need to be reduced. Staff in these posts who work for Hampshire County Council and schools have therefore been offered the opportunity to apply for voluntary redundancy.

Our services

Merryfields will still be offering its services to all families. We will continue to consult with the local community and families about what services are needed and where.

Charging for services

For some activities only, the County Council is considering  whether to introduce charges for families that can afford to pay. Further information and consultation will follow on this over the next few months.

The timescale for change

This timescale is subject to change, but the new management structure should be in place by the end of April 2012:

• May 2011 - Hampshire County Council decision. Hampshire County Council approved changes to the way children’s centres are managed following a public consultation.
• June 2011 - The tender process begins with external organisations invited to express an interest in delivering children's centres services in Hampshire.
• December 2011 - Tender documents to be returned to HCC following which evaluation of the tender returns takes place.
• March 2012 - Contracts to be awarded and discussions will take place between the new organisation, the current organisation managing the children's centre and staff to ensure a smooth transfer.
• 23rd April 2012 - The new organisations start managing the new centre and staff transfer to their new managing organisation.