Fears for an NSPCC centre are lifted after refurbishment plans are announced
A children’s centre in Leeds that local people feared would have to close because of changes to its parent charity, has received news that major refurbishments will be carried out there.
The NSPCC centre at Bramley in Leeds is set to gain new counselling rooms, with work due to start at the end of the year. Extensions and improvements to existing facilities will then be carried out early next year.
The NSPCC regional head for Yorkshire, Gordon Ratcliffe said, “We are pleased to be maintaining and strengthening the NSPCC’s presence in Leeds, where we will be developing new and innovative services to help the most vulnerable children. Child protection is everyone’s responsibility and we are pleased to have the support of key leaders and politicians in Leeds to help us to develop our work.”
Campaigners who lobbied to keep the children’s centre open included Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves who added, “I am delighted about the expansion of the NSPCC facility in Bramley. It is exciting that pioneering services that help and support the most vulnerable children in our society will be in Bramley.”
Fears for the future of the NSPCC centre in Leeds were raised when it was announced that the Yorkshire base of ChildLine, which is run by the charity, was to close. Calls from young people in need of speaking to trained counsellors were to be transferred to a new internet-based service.
Currently, these calls are handled by volunteers who are based in the The Calls area of Leeds city centre. However, staff will now be asked to offer young people advice through a website, with volunteer counsellors working shifts at the NSPCC’s main Leeds headquarters.
The NSPCC is dedicated to ending cruelty to children in the UK and campaign for changes in law, whilst providing help and support for anyone who has been affected by child abuse.
View the original Yorkshire Post article.