Children's Centres

Sure Start Children’s Centres are places where children under 5 years old and their families can get the information, support, help and advice that they need to make sure that children make the best start to life. They will offer a wide range of services including:

Early education – nursery education integrated with day care for babies and young children until they reach school age.
Childcare – day care suitable for working parents. A minimum of 5 days per week, 48 weeks per year for upto 10 hours per day.
Support for parents and families – information, support and advice on a range of issues that parents may encounter with their children. Also specific support for families in need and those who traditionally have found it hard to access services.
Access to specialist health services – ante-natal and post-natal services; support for mums at risk of depression; support and advice on immunisation and other childhood health issues. Early identification of children with special needs and disabilities.
Information – links to schools, health services, the Children’s Information Service and Jobcentre Plus to provide access to any information needed by parents and their children to ensure that they make the best of their lives.

Partnership is key

These services will be brought together by key services working together. A strategic group representing the main partners Walsall Council, Education Walsall and Walsall Teaching Primary Care Trust provides an overall steer while an operational group supports the Children’s Centre Development Manager in the task of developing the individual centres.

We are also receiving support from the Sure Start Unit and Government Office West Midlands.

Timetable

The government’s aim is to have a children’s centre in every community by 2010. Priority is being given to those areas where the need is considered the greatest but Walsall’s vision is to establish a universal entitlement for every child and so there are already plans for at least one children’s centre in each of the 9 local partnership areas.

Planning for the first 11 centres is well underway and it is expected that these, plus another 3 already identified sites will be up and running by 2006 or early 2007. There will be centres at the following locations – click on the centre name to find out more:

By 2008 it is expected that Walsall will have a total of 16 children’s centres and work is currently underway to establish where the remaining 2 will be developed.