Families in Watford and Leavesden get boost from council cash
06/02/2010
Watford and Leavesden families are set to benefit from a grant donated by a Hertfordshire county councillor.
Leavesden Children's Centre, in Leavesden High Road, received £2,000 from Woodside Stanborough Councillor, Derek Scudder, as part of his locality budget allocation.
The centre will be running copies of their usual parent and baby sessions at a new location in order to reach more people.
We have all come so far
04/02/2010
A family worker came to see us and recommended we take Jacob to the local Sure Start Children’s Centre at St Thomas’. I’d heard about Sure Start before, when Elysia, now 10, was little. They sounded great and the only reason I didn’t take her at the time was that the children’s centre was quite far from where we lived and I didn’t drive.
Elysia loves the children’s centre as well. Two of the family workers invited Elysia to help out with the musical babies classes. It makes her feel involved in Jacob’s progress and important to the children’s centre. The people who work in these children’s centres really do go above and beyond the call of duty to help all the families they meet. They have had the biggest impact on me and my family and I feel we’re lucky to have them.
CWDC launches training for children's centres outreach practitioners
28/01/2010
The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is launching a programme to enable Children's Centre outreach practitioners to access training opportunities.
CWDC, in partnership with the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners (NAPP), is offering outreach practitioners opportunities to access training from May 2010 until March 2011 to support this valuable work that helps to make a difference to the lives of children and families.
Rural watchdog seeks to maximise value of economic well-being
18/01/2010
The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) believes that local authorities and other organisations should be making greater use of their ability to pursue policies and projects which increase the economic well-being of the communities they serve.
To encourage and help them, the CRC is today (Monday 18 January 2010) launching two reports which explain economic well-being and give guidance as to how the concept can be used. The reports are being launched at a seminar which aims to stimulate debate and highlight existing good practice. Representatives from local, regional and national government, the voluntary sector and other agencies will come together to hear about projects which have made a positive difference to people’s lives and explore how economic well-being can be better used at a local level.
Prisons told to consult children on play
18/12/2009
Prisons are being urged to consult more with children over the type of play facilities they provide.
The Prison Advice & Care Trust (Pact) has created guidance for playworkers in prisons to engage more with children when planning play provision to ensure it better meets their needs.
Sandra Duhaney, Pact senior services manager, said that a lot of good work has been conducted by third sector organisations to make prisons more family and child-friendly. But she claimed there was still more work required in terms of listening to prisoners' children and thus improving their outcomes.
Lack of transport is main concern for poor rural families
24/11/2009
A lack of affordable and reliable transport is causing misery for low-income families living in the countryside, according to a report by Capacity for the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC).
The report, Peace and Quiet Disadvantage: Insights from Users and Providers of Children's Centres in Rural Communities, found that poor transport links were the main concern among families on low incomes or out of work.
Large distances involved in accessing basic healthcare and dental services and the high cost of train and bus travel means many families miss out. Those living in the smallest villages were the hardest hit, the report found.
Children’s Minister: ‘Think Family’ to support vulnerable children
03/11/2009
The most vulnerable children in the country will from today receive extra help from local services. The Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo will launch a package of measures and additional investment for more intensive family support at the first ever ‘Think Family’ National Conference.
The new measures will help the many different types of families at risk, specifically supporting: children living in poverty; children whose parents are in prison; children of parents with drug and alcohol problems; and children who are caring for their parents or other family members.
Dawn Primarolo will also announce today the 20 areas that will deliver the new £6.5m Child Poverty Family Intervention Projects (FIPs). These projects will address the underlying problems that are preventing parents from gaining employment and lifting their family out of poverty - such as drugs and alcohol misuse, domestic violence and mental health problems.
Ofsted urged to adapt children's centre inspection plans
25/09/2009
Ofsted has been urged to adapt its plans for inspecting children's centres to ensure they meet the needs of the most vulnerable families in their community.
The watchdog, which will be in charge of inspecting all children's centres from next year, has been consulting on how it will conduct inspections since July. The consultation closed last week, with a number of organisations advising that more is done to check on how centres are delivering services to those who need it most.
4Children, Barnardo's and Action for Children all called for more focus on how centres are engaging with the wider community and how well they are reaching vulnerable families. The inspectorate has been asked to consider how centres identify children in need and how they offer targeted intervention.
Children, Schools and Families Minister: Piloting innovative support for separated parents
21/09/2009
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker today announced the ten successful pilot areas looking at how local services can be better co-ordinated for separating and separated parents.
The £4.75m project aims to improve the wellbeing of families caught up in divorce and separation with help from, local services including counselling, and mediation, practical and legal support.
Lottery-funded projects boost 'risky' play
19/08/2009
A children's play programme funded by the Big Lottery has allowed children to take part in more 'risky' and adventurous play, according to a new study.
In preliminary findings from a three-year evaluation of the Big Lottery Fund's Children's Play Programme, research consultancy ECOTEC found that it is enabling children to access more play than before, including 'new' forms such as sensory play and 'risky' or adventurous play.
The lottery has earmarked £124m for children's play over three years, with grants of £100,000 to £3m for 1,400 local authority projects for 'free, unstructured play'. It particularly targets disabled children and those living in rural areas and disadvantaged areas.
Supporting families where parents have mental health issues
16/07/2009
The Social Care Institute for Excellence offers guidance on holistically working with parents with mental health problems.
About one in four adults experience a mental health problem during their lifetime, many of whom are parents. Although there has been a shift in services towards placing greater emphasis on supporting adults in their parenting role, challenges including barriers to joint working between adult mental health and children's services mean there is much yet to be achieved in practice.
Outreach helping poor families
02/07/2009
Outreach work is successfully supporting families living in poverty who would not normally access services, a government report has found.
Parents interviewed for the Department for Children, Schools and Families report, Outreach to Children and Families: A Scoping Study, were positive about their experiences with outreach workers...
The study also found that although children's centres and extended schools have a key role in addressing child poverty, they need more help to target families in need. According to the report, greater support and training is needed to help outreach workers analyse demographic information and population trends.