Parents and children affected by the tragedy were left out in the street when the company KCTMO unexpectedly changed the locks on the centre

The company responsible for managing Grenfell Tower has changed the locks on a community centre used to provide art therapy for children affected by the tragedy, stranding parents and children outside in the street when they came to seek help.

Therapists had been running the club for a week, but when they turned up on Tuesday to find their keys no longer worked.

“They changed the locks without discussion or liaison,” said Susan Rudnik, who coordinated therapy at the centre. She practises at Chelsea and Westminster hospital and is a lecturer at Goldsmiths.

Families waited outside in the rain as the organisers tried to reach Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), and therapists from other centres waited to collect art supplies.

A few hours later, after all the children had gone home, someone from KCTMO arrived with new keys, but told the therapists they would only have limited access. Rudnik said she was later told they could use the centre from 9am to 5pm on Mondays and Tuesdays . “That is little use for an after-school club.”

“That is not what I asked for, and not what we wanted,” she said. “Since then they have said they are going to work with us, but we are yet to have our requests for timing and use of the hall confirmed.”

The centre is supporting children who lost friends and classmates in the blaze, and who now study and play in the shadow of its ruins.

“You can see the towerblock from the playground really clearly. They really need this,” said Faye Murray, a mother of five and part of a group of local volunteers who have supported the centre logistically.

It has proven popular with local children, with 15 to 20 attending each day it was open, and Rudnik has been coordinating with the NHS and other officials.

“We have been working alongside children’s services to have it as an art therapy hub for affected children in the area, and we have referral services in place should we be worried about any of them,” Rudnik said.

As their work gained a higher profile, KCTMO sent an official down to meet the team and inspect the community centre on Friday.

“She said ‘we don’t want to kick you out, we want to know that it’s safe’. She gave us the impression that she was there to fix things for the tenants,” Murray said.

The official promised to repair the fire escape, get a key for a shutter, and took contact details of the informal organising committee.

They also gave her a list of other events they would like to hold there as the community recovers from the trauma of the blaze, including coffee mornings for older residents and exercise classes.

That meeting made the abrupt change of the locks even more distressing for locals. “There was so much disbelief,” Murray said. “At least if you are going to lock us out, let us know. We’ve offered to the community something it needed, something that you [KCTMO] didn’t.

“It echoes everything that happened in Grenfell, that sense that ‘we are in charge and we don’t give a damn about you’.”

A spokesman for KCTMO said that the locks had to be changed because there had been some vandalism and a fire door needed repair, but did not comment on why the art therapists had not been told in advance.

“Once this had all been done and the building was safe to use, the group was given the keys and have had full access since late yesterday morning,” he said in a statement. He did not say when or how often they would be able to use the centre in future.

Rudnik said there had been no damage while they were using the hall and the only repair needed was to a handle on the fire exit. “We cleaned that hall, it was in a better state than when we found it,” she said.