Sure Start Children's Centres

Sure Start Children’s Centres are at the heart of the Government’s Every Child Matters: Change for Children Programme. They are a key vehicle for providing services that families need. By 2010 there will be 3,500 – one for every community.

The vision:

Children’s centres will play a central role in improving outcomes for all young children, and in reducing the inequalities in outcomes between the most disadvantaged children and the rest. Although they need to reflect different local needs, in all areas they will be a central part of a Local Authority’s provision for young children and their families.

The context:

Sure Start Children’s Centres are places where children under 5 years old and their families can receive seamless holistic integrated services and information, and where they can access help from multi-disciplinary teams of professionals.

For further information on the background to children’s centres, the services they provide or where your nearest centre is located please select from the appropriate link on the left.