Agenda item

Barbara Nellist, Programme Manager, Inclusion gave a presentation on the Sure Start Rotherham Central Children’s Centre – a project which gave a flying start for all 0-4 year olds in Canklow, Ferham, Masbrough, Thornhill and the Town Centre.  This project was the third and final programme to be started in 2002.

Out of five hundred programmes across the country, there were three such schemes in Rotherham.  The Rawmarsh Sure Start Project had started in 1998 and the Maltby Project in 2000.

The initiative consisted of a collection of multi-agency services working together to ensure children were given an excellent start before starting school.

The Centre was currently registered for twenty-four full-time places for children from 0-8 years of age and work was taking place with the foundation unit to provide an integrated unit of child care.

The presentation provided information on the following areas of work:-

-                       Sure Start at the Ferham Centre

-                       A Multi-Agency Team

-                       Children registered with Sure Start

-                       Ages of Children Registered

-                       Ethnicity of Children Registered

-                       Services and Activities

-                       Parent Involvement/Training/Community links

-                       Achievements 2002-2005

-                       Budget

-                       Children’s Centres in Rotherham

-                       Every Child Matters

Family support was offered on a one to one basis, the importance of parental involvement being a major feature of the work.

Members raised the following issues:-

-                       Was the budget time-limited, if so, how would it continue to be funded?

            As the Project was to become part of the Children’s Centre programme        from 2007, it would continue to be funding from the Education Service         and Sure Start would have to bid in or negotiate alongside other     Agencies.       

-                       In terms of the 25% not registered with Sure Start, what work was taking place to ensure they were registered and was it important they take part in the project?

            The 25% not registered could be people who had moved into the area            recently and may not have been visited by a Health Visitor and         completed an application form.  A team of Health Visitors was             responsible for writing to everyone in the area but due to a shortage of           Health Visitors this exercise had only commenced in January.  It was          accepted there would always be hard to reach families.

-                       Regarding the Christmas party event, what other events were organised for non-Christians within the catchment area?

                  Mail shots were circulated to everyone in the area whether registered            or not.  The party had been held to celebrate both Christmas and Eid and       there were plans for a further multicultural event in 2005.

-                       Were there links with RotherhamGeneral Hospital and Midwives?

            Despite their commitment to prioritise statutory work, and a shortage of        Midwives, there was a good link with the Hospital Midwifery Section.  In            addition there was a parent to parent initiative whereby parent       representatives talked to new mothers at the Hospital and Health             Visitors carry out a pre-birth visit during the last three months of            pregnancy. With a greater number of midwives now in post, it was     hoped to engage with more families.

-                       Why was there a lack of rural initiatives?

            The rolling out of Children’s Centres would impact on all areas, both    urban and rural.  However, when the first areas were selected for the       Sure Start initiative, it was those where there was greatest deprivation –         and these happened to be urban.  

One Member who had been to the Ferham Centre as part of a visit by Scrutiny Panel Members praised the work of the Centre.  The facility had been very impressive in the way it taught families how to integrate with other families within the community and introduced children into the education system.  It had been good to see all different ages working together, a particular part of the work being training for parents.

The Chairman commented on the need to encourage children as early as possible to engage in education and learning within the most deprived areas of the country.

Resolved:-  That the contents of the presentation be noted and thanks extended to the whole Sure Start team for their excellent work.