Friday 02 August 2013
Following work by the Beau Sejour crèche users Working Party, arrangements have been put in place to trial a revised operational model.
Crèche users had been contacted by letter and email and asked for their views on the future operation of the crèche. Following that consultation a new operational model has been agreed and will be tested from Monday 2nd September 2013. The new model will look to reduce the budget deficit which was £36,000 in 2012.
Jane Lavin on behalf of the crèche users said:
As user representatives on the Working Party we have tried to balance the feedback from the crèche users and the C&L Department's objective of making the crèche facility break even on a stand‐alone basis. We all agreed that the sole public crèche facility on the island is a valuable front line service for parents of young children wishing to live a healthy lifestyle. Our hope is that current and new crèche users will take up the new child crèche membership which, although encompasses an inevitable increase in charges, is also a more flexible and convenient way of funding a more efficient facility. We have also made suggestions on how the service can be better promoted to new parents to ensure its long term future'.
Culture and Leisure Board Member Deputy Paul Le Pelley, who is also on the Working Party, said:
'The Board is fully supportive of the various suggestions made that would reduce the crèche's operational budget, and I would like to thank all from the Working Party who have contributed toward this new operational model.'
'The crèche will need to be booked and paid one month in advance to allow staff cover to be planned. A new monthly crèche membership scheme will be introduced which benefits from ten one hour sessions at £5.50 each. Casual users will still be able to access the crèche for a cost of £7 per hour but will also be required to book and pay in advance. This model will be trialled until the end of December 2013. The performance of the new model will be reviewed throughout the trial period and the Board will make an informed decision as to the crèche's future in time for 2014.'
Ends
