Sure Start Children's Centre's North 1.33

Sure Start Children’s Centres work with mums, dads, grandparents, carers and families to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of babies and young children so that they can flourish at home and when they get to school. They do this by offering support to families and coordinating all services for the under 5’s.

Sure Start brings together service providers from the statutory sector like health, children’s social services and early education, as well as voluntary, private and community organisations and mums, dads and carers themselves, to provide integrated services for young children and their families based on what local children need and mums and dads as well.

Children’s Centres are the hub of what Sure Start aims to deliver and they offer families with children under five a friendly place to go to get information and support on health, parenting, work and childcare. All children’s centres provide stay and play activities for mums, dads, carers and their children and there are lots of opportunities for families to develop new skills.

Children’s Centres also offer outreach and home visiting and services for children and parents who need it.

As well as the 20 centres that we have in Northumberland, the introduction of Play Vans has further improved the outreach services that can be delivered to the far corners of this region. These mobile resource centres are packed with specialist equipment and materials enabling staff to more effectively support the most isolated communities.

Sure Start Children’s Centres are for EVERYBODY looking after a child under 5, that’s mums, dads, grandparents, childminders and families.