Sure Start

Following 5 years of systemic research exploring the efficacy and impact of Sure Start Local Programmes, this book pulls together, in a single volume, the results of the extensive National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS).

Incorporating HC 799-i and ii, session 2008-09

The Government launched the Sure Start programme in 1998 to help give the best start in life for every child, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support services. From April 2006, local authorities have been responsible for managing the programme for their area and decide whether to do so directly or to contract out management to a private or voluntary provider, whilst the DfES issues guidance to local authorities and monitors performance. The first 800 centres were located in the most deprived areas, but the Government has pledged to create a children's centre for every community by 2010, around 3,500 in all, committing £3.2 billion of funds until 2008. Children's centres also have income from various other sources including grants and fees for childcare charged to parents. This NAO report focuses on the capacity of the centres set up by September 2005 and the performance of responsible local authorities in delivering value for money through sound financial management, in reaching the most disadvantaged families, and in monitoring their performance effectively. It finds that good progress is being made although the full effectiveness of the centres will be measurable only in the long term. The centres are valued by most of the families who use them, although the early signs are that more still needs to be done to reach and support some of the most excluded groups. The costs of centres and activities vary widely, and local authorities and centres that the NAO visited need to understand their costs better and assess whether they were using their funds cost-effectively.

In 1997, the Labour Government came to power in the UK and committed to reforming public service delivery, particularly towards the improvement of children’s services. This book analyses Labour Party’s subsequent strategy towards public service delivery emphasising, on one level, devolving more power to frontline deliverers, while on the other, strengthening central control through a variety of means, leading to a ‘mixed-approach’ in its overall reforms. The book focuses on the implementation process involved in rolling out its Sure Start policy in order to understand and analyse the dynamics in Labour’s approach to delivery. In so-doing, it draws on implementation and policy network theories to offer an original analytical framework - ‘the implementation network approach’ - to explain the implementation process of Sure Start policy. This book will be undoubtedly appealing to the students and scholars engaged in the fields of Public Policy and British Politics.

"...an easy-to-read evaluation of a trailblazer local programme... packed with helpful information such as pointers for the future, pie charts and parents' stories (not translated into dry 'research' speak)... It renewed my passion and reminded me why I got involved in Sure Start in the first place"Nursery World “This book demonstrates the key strength of Sure Start, its breadth of vision… It shows how with the right effort, statutory and voluntary organisations can work side by side. It also shows how important it is to engage local people in finding solutions, blending professional and community support to strengthen both… Learning from Sure Start is a significant contribution to the evidence base on what works for young children and families.†Naomi Eisenstadt, Director, Sure Start Unit Sure Start, an exciting initiative in early childhood care and education with families in the UK, has been developing new forms of community-focused early interventions, with the aim of having all children ‘ready to flourish’ when they start school. This book, the first of its kind, is the result of a close collaboration between one local programme and a university over a five year period. The contributors all have first hand experience as practitioners or researchers in the Sure Start programme at Foxhill & Parson Cross in Sheffield, which has provided a wide range of new services. Contributors: Describe various services within health, education and social welfare Examine implications of the development of inter-agency theory and practice for planning and delivery of services for children Evaluate methods that were employed Identify what worked and what didn’t Indicate lessons that can be drawn from experience This is indispensable reading for students of early childhood and early years practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.

Incorporating HC 852-i and ii, Session 2012-13. Additional written evidence is contained in Volume 3, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/educom. Incorrect paper number 346-II printed on document

An important textbook that promotes thoughtful engagement with key issues and theories that inform an understanding of childhood development.