Consultation by: Birmingham City Council
Healthwatch Birmingham and Solihull responded to this community consultation on proposed changes to children’s centres and family hubs across Birmingham.
Our response covered the following key points:
• We raised concerns about how feedback was gathered, including confusing messaging and insufficient information available before drop-in engagement sessions, which limited people’s ability to contribute meaningfully.
• We highlighted a lack of clarity in the supporting documentation, which made it difficult for participants to understand how service provision would change.
• We expressed concern that the proposed changes could deepen health inequalities, and suggested that further steps be taken be undertaken to better understand potential impacts on communities, particularly where services might no longer be within walking distance.
Healthwatch Birmingham and Solihull will continue to hear from people about the impacts of these proposals and share relevant experiences with Birmingham City Council where appropriate.