Sure Start Children's Centres

HC 130-I, Fifth Report of Session 2009-10 - Volume I: Report, Together with Formal Minutes

Author:: House of Commons - Children, Schools and Families Committee
Publisher:: TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £14.50

The Committee warns that rushing to judge the worth of Sure Start Children's Centres would be catastrophic and could jeopardise one of the most innovative and ambitious initiatives of the last two decades.

'Sure Start Children's Centres (HC 130-I)' reports that children's centres are designed to address some of the most entrenched aspects of disadvantage but the majority have been in place for less than four years. Evaluations of their impact will therefore only be meaningful over the long term. Yielding to short term financial pressure by reducing the number of centres or pruning the range of services offered would be a mistake the Committee says.

A universal service can ensure that all vulnerable children get the access they need and the wide range of support and activities provided to families is a vital feature of the programme. Stable funding is also essential. The scale of the programme means important challenges remain. With a national network of centres in place there must now be a constant focus on raising the quality of staffing and services and on improving the performance of centres in reaching the most vulnerable families.

Partnership working with health services, in particular GPs is patchy across the country and children's centres must not be an optional extra for health agencies. The government should re-establish ministerial responsibility for the Sure Start programme in the Department of Health as well as the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Information about value for money in children's centres is still unacceptably difficult to come by, the committee adds; more must be done to determine the total resources being put into the initiative from all government departments.

Extent	78 pages	ISBN	9780215545459
Size	A4	Price	£14.50
Format	Paperback	Published	29 Mar 2010
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges