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Save Sure Start Children's Centres
What are Sure Start children's centres?
Children’s centres are service hubs where children under five-years-old and their families can receive seamless integrated services and information. By 2010, every community will be served by a Sure Start children’s centre, offering permanent universal provision across the country, ensuring that every child gets the best start in life.
These services vary according to centre but may include:
- integrated early education and childcare – all centres offering Early Years provision have a minimum half-time qualified teacher (increasing to full-time within 18 months of the centre opening)
- support for parents – including advice on parenting, local childcare options and access to specialist services for families
- child and family health services – ranging from health screening, health visitor services to breast-feeding support
- helping parents into work – with links to the local Jobcentre Plus and training.
The Government’s vision, set out most recently in the Children’s Plan, is that every child and young person should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Sure Start is at the forefront of transforming the way services are delivered for young children and their families.
The aim of Sure Start children’s centres is to improve outcomes for all children. They are a vital part of the Government’s ten-year childcare strategy to enable all families with children to have access to an affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare place for their child. For more information, go to the LA developing practice page.
LAs have been given strategic responsibility for the delivery of children’s centres. They are planning the location and development of centres to meet the needs of local communities, in consultation with parents, the private, voluntary and independent sectors, primary care trusts (PCTs), Jobcentre Plus and other key partners to deliver a range of services.
The Government has contracted with a partnership of private-sector and public-sector organisations, called Together for Children, to provide delivery support on the ground for LAs. Visit the Together for Children website for LA resources, good practice, case studies and discussion forums.
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Last updated on 04/05/2009
