MoorMums spoke to Matt Podd, manager of the Guiseley Children’s Centre, to find out more about what Children’s Centres are and how they can help you.
Matt Podd - Guiseley Children's Centre Manager
In 1998, the Government introduced the SureStart programme to improve outcomes for families with young children, in areas of deprivation. They were so impressed with the results that they decided to mainstream this programme in all areas through Children’s Centres. There is now a Children’s Centre to serve every community, with the size and range of services of the centre dependant on need. For a list of Centre’s in our area and their details, see the ‘What’s on’ section.
Centres are set up to provide services to children under 5 yrs old and their families. We all provide universal services, such as Baby Massage or play facilities, open to all (see listings on MoorMums and many Centres have their own website with details, but before attending phone first to check availability). We also do targeted work with those children or families that need more support. This can take a variety of forms such as One to One work, attending courses or groups. We also undertake outreach in the community to spread the word about Centres and to take services out to those families who may not be able to, or want to access the centre.
Individual Centre’s provide a range of services dependant on the needs of the area they serve. However, they should all be able to provide relevant information for parents and be able to signpost on the other services if appropriate. Services on offer should include a range of employment and personal development support, probably access to counselling for parents or children, support for other local childcare professionals and courses to support parents. To achieve this, Children’s Centre’s work in partnership with a range of agencies, such as Social Care, Health and Job Centre Plus. There is a new initiative called ‘Early Start’ that will mean closer working between Health Visitors and Children’s Centres. Contact your local Centre if you need support in any area of parenting.
Centre’s are funded by the Government, through the local council and are inspected on the range, quality and impact by OFSTED. We are required to keep local data and to regularly evaluate our services, which is why we ask you to complete so many forms.
Children’s Centres should be a valuable resource, supporting community cohesion, being a forum and providing a voice for local parents and others involved in childcare. Though we are in tough economic times and have experienced budget cuts, the future of local centres seems secure for the moment. We have an important role to play in early intervention providing a ‘bottom up’ approach to families issues.
Thank you to Matt for taking the time to speak to us. If you have any further questions, you can contact Matt direct: poddm01@leedslearning.net. For more information about your local children’s centres, go to our listing pages.
