Sure start Children's Centres - do you use them and what do you think of them?

[carriemumsnet]

BBC Radio London have invited us on tomorrow (Friday am) to talk about what Mumsnetters think of Sure Start children's centres. It's a while since anyone an MNHQ used one so we'd be really interested to know what y'all think.

All feedback welcome.

Thanks

MNHQ

lisa - the one I went to did some fabulous things - heavily subsidised trips over summer to places that would be v. hard if not impossible to get to on public transport, such as children's farm parks etc, and were very imaginative with the classes they offered - so as well as more traditional M & T there were things like cooking classes and gardening classes, and webster strattion.

Sorry Lisa, didn't want to spoil it

Maybe edit my post out before you show them!!!

no i didnt seehob, where was it?

Internationalflight, i think any comments are acceptable, I know some really naff cc, mainly the one near me

Thanks x

It was in chat. I think i know you is the gist of it!

You know Hilla?

found post hob, who is hilda?

LOl

I work in a consortium in Herts so I think I may have met you!

now im intriged! and i cant spell! was i my normally lovely self or was a moddy moo

Ours is great - but I don't feel its for me. I feel out of place and a bit excluded.

It has developed into a support and development agency for adults more [learning, cooking etc] and things that involve children seem to have shrunk to very basic stuff.

I don't feel it is worth a visit to learn about safety gates, or basic cooking for example, as I can do that and find out for myself iyswim?

I'd love something on say, creating a great kids garden, or cooking with allergies for example.

That said I believe it does a great job at with it's target audience locally, I just wish someone would target me

I don't know if this message is too late, but I love my SS centre. I live in Kirklees (Huddersfield) and there is a SS centre up the road. I take my 8 month old to their "Under 18 months" group, which is well structured, and well run and has good equipment. I also went to the Baby Yoga classes that they ran, and have used the Toy Library at another local centre. One of my friends is also in discussion with them about her volunteering to run Parenting classes for teenage parents (she works with disadvantages youths, but is on maternity leave) - it seems to nuture a really lovely, sharing environment. It also attracts a far wider cross section of the social spectrum than say NCT coffee mornings or church run play groups.

I think that it is a valuable community asset, for social mixing, parenting support, new mum support, baby and child activities and a focal point for parents with pre-school children.

I agree with Fio and that is a huge problem. I used to run groups that were linked with children's centres some of which were advertised but they often became a victim of their success as the parents that I was supposed to be aiming for were put off by the presence of more affluent more confident mothers. For that reason I also ran groups that were invitation only.

twinset - so as a confident, though not affluent mum, am I not really suposed to be there? I got that impression tbh [but then I got that from super snobby playgroups too!]

Am getting wound up now.

CCs are not for a certain type of parent.

And even if I slightly agree on the basis that they must target the hard to engage with specific remits for some sessions, that is not to say that, for example, a session aimed at an ethnic minority group will be exclusively for that particular parent group - if it were then it would completely undermine the concept of community cohesion.

CCs are not ghettos.

Who mentioned ghettos? I live in a surestart area, houses are stamp duty exempt etc. It's a very nice area infact!

I can only report on the experience I had, which was beigh questioned on why I wanted to book on parenting course and being told the cookery was for basic cooks who only ate take aways. By the woman on the phone.

But, treedelivery, my frustration is not just from the way posts here indicate perception of CCs it is with how misconstrued the whole Governmental concept has been from all angles.

I mention ghettos because CCs risk becoming ghettoised if steps are not taken to address the way some CCs are run or how they are perceived in the communities they serve. This thread illustrates that risk fantastically.

I need to go look up what auditing processes are in place because I think this thread should be accessible to that process to be honest. Anybody else agree.

I hope my frustration is not being taken personally.

I care passionately about this area as I was involved in the consulation project for a rural centre pre the first pilot and have been 'involved' to some degree from the very start.

I would say that our Children's Centre is great BUT that it has dispersed the Health Visitor team much more, making it difficult if not impossible to see your actual health visitor at anything less than two weeks notice.

Children's Centres are now in existence to provide a universal one-stop shop type access to services for all children and families. But it hasn't always been that way.

In 2002 the very first ones were developed in the most disadvantaged areas in the country. These were branded as SSLP's- Sure Start Local Programmes. Nearly all of them had inclusive child care on site and they all offered targetted support to families living in disadvantage or needing specialist support.

In 2004/5 further Centres were rolled out in areas slightly lower down the road of disadvantage and in the last couple of years local authorities have been setting up more.

By April 2010 every community will have access to a designated Children's Centre for their community. Some Centres will be based from a building; others from satellite based Centres or mobile project vehicles.

Most of the Centres established since 2007 are in non-disadvantaged communities. This evidences how the government have moved from setting up targetted provision in the most disadvantaged areas- to universal provision that is open to everyone- including those without identified needs.

Whilst the progressive universalism is clear to see, what isn't is the targetted work which is still going on-even in the latest Centres to be established.

Hope that helps a little bit- if you're still awake that is!

shiny

well I have to say I was so happy at my group on tuesday morning as you had a huge mix of people. Young mums, working mums, young, old, middle and lower class (hate those terms), all chatting and giving advice.

Hi Hob

lisad my children are your neck of woods consortia wise I think, whereas I'm dacorum based...

Well that is interesting.

I had a huge post of [perhaps] insightful observations for you hobgoblin. Then I deleted it. Argh!

I believe 'my local'was one of the early ones - and does not appear to show any signs of progression towards universal provision of non-targeted activities. I have noticed a decline in this in fact. Classes I would have gone to have shrank [gardening, yoga, relaxation], whereas classes I feel alienated from [examples being basic reading, help with form filing, computers for beginers] are in the majority.

I don't begrudge this as it is good work. Also the centre has huge parent involvement which is a triumph. I do however remain 'untargeted'.

Having said that with my spelling a good bout of basic English might be ideal.

thing is while cc are meant for all, they do have a target group to reach and we have to show to be meeting their needs, these include, lone parents, young parents, working parents, dads, black and ethic minority groups, pnd groups, bfing groups and childminders. I hate having target groups and to be honest i dont really care who comes aslong as everyone needs it.

I love the diversity that we have in our Centre. The mixture of young parents and more mature ones for example is great- seeing a 16 year old Mum have peer support from a 3rd time Mum is great

But yes I agree, Lisa- the hard to reach thing is very hard to quantify at times.