THE results of the council’s “Early offer of help” contract tenders has been welcomed by the Conservatives
The “Early offer of help” is the council’s scheme to intervene in the lives of young people, to try to nip costly and damaging lifestyles in the bud. The scheme brings together various council functions to try to ensure every young person receives “good enough” parenting.
Conservative spokesman for Children and Education Councillor James Halden said “Conservatives have pressured the council to look to the voluntary, private and faith sectors for their expertise in supporting our communities. We know from experience that experts in the field offer a better solution than more tiers of local government.
“I am delighted that the contracts have been won by such groups, especially groups like Open Door.
Commenting on the hopes for the scheme, Cllr Halden added “we worked hard on this strategy because an ever-increasing population can’t mean ever increasing costs. We have to find a better way to engage a ‘prevention rather than cure’ mentality in such services, or else we will struggle to deliver what is needed in the future.
“This scheme is still in very early days but I am very confident that having groups like Open Door can help us tackle a complicated and costly issue.”
