CHILDREN'S health, care and criminal justice services in West Dunbartonshire are to be moved to a new home after the current site was described as “not fit for purpose”.

The new base for the services will be at Alexandria’s Community Centre, after West Dunbartonshire Council agreed the current accommodation in the Vale Centre for Health and Care was “less than perfect”.

Evidence submitted to elected members in March last year indicated that the facilities there are “not fit for purpose” and that the council needed to provide better, modern facilities for its staff and their clients.

A report presented to members of the Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development (IRED) committee revealed that £27,000 will need to be allocated from the council’s capital budget in order to complete the project.

An update was brought before the IRED committee earlier this week. 

SNP councillor Jonathon McColl said: “I am really pleased to see this report – it is a really positive move forward and I would like to thank officers for all the work they have done on this.

“It has been significant and I know there has been a lot of discussion between them and the staff involved. 

“The plan is quite bare and one of the criticisms that was made in the health centre was the lack of proper furnishings, toys and other equipment that we would need.

“Can I just ask officers what they intend to do to make it family-friendly and could I also ask if staff are satisfied that the hotdesking space is suitable because one of the issues at the health centre was that non-social work staff and members of the public would be able to see quite clearly laptop screens when people were looking at confidential case files.

“I want to make sure that the space we are putting them in is suitable.”

Councillor McColl was informed by an officer that the report only detailed the type of work staff would be carrying out at the new site. 

They said: “At this point, I do not know what furniture will be used, it might be furniture we are using elsewhere that might be available to be put into that site.

“We are trying to maximise office accommodation across the authority and maximising the use of the Alexandria Town Centre office which is in Mitchell Way – that is where the hotdesking option for the Alexandria staff if they require it – would be used.”

Members of the committee unanimously agreed to the move subject to a report being presented to the health and social care partnership who will make sure the facility is suitable.