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Save Sure Start Children's Centre provision in Northern Ireland
There are now 32 Sure Start programmes across Northern Ireland which cover a wide geographic spread and have a good urban and rural mix. Out of the 32 programmes operating here, approximately one-third are based in rural settings.
In Northern Ireland Sure Start represents an investment of £16 million for 2008–09 and means that over 30,000 children aged under four years and their families have access to the services provided through the programme.
Sure Start programmes have been designed specifically to reflect and respond to local needs. For that reason, each Sure Start programme is unique in terms of the services it provides and the manner in which it provides them. There are, however, core elements which must feature in any Sure Start programme. These core elements include:
- outreach and home visiting services, to make contact as early as possible in the child’s life and draw families into using other services
- family support, including befriending, social support and parenting information, both group and home-based
- good quality play, learning and childcare experiences for children, both group and home-based
- primary and community healthcare and advice
- support for all children in the community, recognising their differing needs – while Sure Start does not itself provide specialist services, projects need to ensure that their services are accessible to all families.
The projects are all locally managed, please click the links below for contact details:
Northern Childcare Partnership
Southern Childcare Partnership
Western Childcare Partnership
Eastern Childcare Partnership
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Last updated on 04/05/2009
