Memorandum submitted by Eastfield Nursery School and Children's Centre and Eastfield Community Centre

 

The Children's Centre provides integrated provision - work with health visitors, midwives, social services and voluntary organisations. The Centre provides services like drug addiction, smoking cessation and is a one-stop shop with - a lot of services being offered at the Children's Centre itself. Children's Centre Staff also go out to work with health visitors at baby clinic and midwives at ante-natal clinic. Workers visit all new births in the area and so aim to reach all parents and children at an early stage. The family support workers can offer a range of support for parents e.g. advice on breastfeeding, nutrition, sleep, behaviour, speech and language.

We have outreach services offered by a speech & language development officer, family support worker and father's worker. The Centre works with dads and hard-to-reach parents - the very vulnerable and those who want support. We offer childcare including supported places in the Nursery for very vulnerable children. We look at offering training courses, some of which are more informal representing the 1^st Step on the ladder of training which can build up confidence and self-esteem and lead parents to go onto further training or work.

Job Centre Plus and Job Club give help to those considering training and work. This includes advice on CV's, preparation for interviews and how to search for a job. Over half on those people living in this area have no qualifications and many who have had a bad experience of education. Encouragement in training is a good way to get people to raise their aspirations.

The Centre's reach area is the top 5% deprived areas in England. There are a higher than average number of one parent families and people out of work. Services like Cook & Eat, Nurturing Programme, Money and Tax Credit Advice give parents information on things that are vital to health and well-being.

There is a good working relationship between the Children's Centre and the Community Centre. The Community Centre provides the space for working groups for parents and training courses. The aims of the Community Centre are in line with those of the Children's Centre. They both want help and support for parents-to-be and parent/carers of young children. They both want advice to be given to parents wishing to return to training and work and together want to see that opportunities are made available to parents and children to give children the best start in life.

Both Centres ensure safe crèches are available to support groups and training and to enable parents to ensure they consider their own development and well-being as well as to advance the progress they are able to make for their child.

The two Centres work in partnership with the PCT, Social Services, Youth Services, YMCA Bridge Project, Drug Addiction Services, the local learning brokers and local schools in offering services for families in the area.

October 2009