Sir – I read with some confusion the comments of our new director of children’s services, Catherine Driscoll, on the proposed closure or reduction of services at the county’s children’s centres.

To suggest the sole purpose of such centres is to keep children out of local authority care is, to say the least, disingenuous. These resources were developed to ensure ALL children had the best possible start in life, whatever their home circumstances.

If anything, the impetus came from concerns about academic achievement, not about child protection issues. Certainly, a reduction in the need to intervene too far in family life was one of the hoped for outcomes, as were many other things like bringing different agencies together under one roof, improving health outcomes, ensuring school readiness, to name but a few.

But to suggest that the rising numbers of children in care is evidence that children’s centres are no longer needed is, simply, not the reality. The increase in looked-after children, as many social work academics will tell you, is far more about the Baby P effect and constant media and Ofsted focus on children’s services than on the effectiveness of any one resource.

Our children’s centres play a vital role in supporting parents and children across a wide spectrum of our community and those in control of the finances, like Ms Driscoll, would do well to consider what impact these closures and reductions will have on families already struggling in our society.

Martin Barratt

Evesham