Ealing’s Children’s Centres Strategy 2011 - 2013

Ealing Children and Young People’s Board 15 th March 2011

• The Childcare Act 2006 places statutory duties on the local authority and their NHS and Jobcentre Plus partners to work together to improve the outcomes of all children up to the age of 5 and reduce inequalities between them, by ensuring early childhood services are integrated to maximise access and benefits to families underpinning a Sure Start Children’s Centre for every community. • The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 which amended the Childcare Act to authority include a sufficiency duty, and an inspection and regulation framework for children’s centres as a mainstream children and families service.

• The recent Child Poverty Early Intervention reviews have reinforced the importance of the first five years of life in ensuring positive outcomes for children, adults and the community.

“ We have found overwhelming evidence that children’s life chances are most heavily predicated on their development in the first five years of life. It is family background, parental education, good parenting and the opportunities for learning and development in those crucial years that together matter more to children than money, in determining whether their potential is realised in adult life” Frank Field December 2010

• The Children’s Centres programme developed from the initial Sure Start Local Programmes that began in Ealing 11 years ago • In 2003 Ealing’s first children’s centres were designated • Since then 27 children’s centres have been established across the borough, including our final 4 new buildings nearing completion • Children’s Centres Strategy 2008 - 2011 was established from a baseline of 20,750, children from birth to their fifth birthday (0-4) • From April 2011 this baseline will be revised to 23,950 children from birth to their fifth birthday (0-4)

• This is a 15% increase in the number of children (0-4) in Ealing • Maintaining a borough wide service through a network of centres will be central to meeting this challenge • Ealing recognises the importance of engaging with children and families through universally accessible services so that needs can be identified and vulnerable children and families supported as: ‘…

not all disadvantaged children live in disadvantaged areas’

• Children’s centres will have a key role to play in Ealing’s Early Intervention Strategy, which aims to improve outcomes for children in Ealing through supporting young children’s readiness for school, building a firm foundation for their adult lives and potential as future parents. • Early childhood health services and Jobcentre Plus are key partners with children’s centres in achieving these aims.

• The Health Visitor Implementation Plan sets out a call to action to expand and strengthen health-visiting services with an additional 4,200 health visitors by 2015

Engaging with children and families

•

20,000

families have been reached between 01/04/2010 & 31/12/2010 in Ealing Children’s Centres.

•

255,000

service contacts have been made between 01/04/2010 & 31/12/2010 in Ealing Children’s Centres.

Outreach

• The last two years has seen the establishment of a borough wide and quadrant based children’s centres outreach service, delivered by a voluntary sector provider, Coram.

• Coram offer one to one support and a targeted home visiting service, including children under 5 and their families identified as having some additional needs in partnership with SAFE -12 and social care. • This borough wide service is instrumental in maintaining a network of support to vulnerable families through Ealing’s Children’s centres. To date this year Coram have reached 3,386 individuals through their targeted services excluding their universal stay and play provision

Partnerships

• Partnerships with Coram, Community Midwives, Health Visitors and Jobcentre Plus through the Child Poverty Pilots have led to a projected 81% increase in the number of children from birth to five that have engaged with children’s centres across Ealing since the previous year 2009/2010.

Free Childcare for disadvantaged 2 year olds

• A scheme piloted by the last government that offers the provision of up to 15 hours per week free early learning and childcare to 2-year-old children.

• The scheme started in March 2009 and has benefited 481 children to date and this will continue under the coalition government. Research has shown that this group of children make significant educational gains if they access good quality provision when they are two years old.

Providers who deliver services within Ealing’s Children’s Centres

• Childcare providers • Coram targeted groups and home visiting service • SAFE 0-12 • CAMHS / Clinical Psychologist • Dieticians • ESOL Courses with crèche facilities • Ealing Adult Education • Ealing Council • Extended Schools • Further Education Colleges • Health visitors • Homestart • Jobcentre Plus • Midwifery Team – Midwifery antenatal support • NCMA National Childminding Association • National Childbirth Trust • Parenting Support – Groups and One to One • SAFE 0-12 • Shelter • Speech and Language Therapy • Stephens Place Therapeutic Services – Domestic Violence Support …………and many more

Charles Barnard Head of Years Years Childcare and SAFE 0-12 Clare Welsby Children’s Centres Strategic Manager