18/02/2004

Children to benefit following 'Sure Start' awards

Six centres that provide "joined up early years services" in Dorset and Leeds have been named as 'Sure Start Children's Centres', it has been announced today.

Sure Start aims to provide a firm beginning for children by bringing together policy and services on childcare, early years education, family support, health and help to find employment.

The six children's centres announced today are the Somerford Children's Centre in Dorset, and five based in Leeds - the Bramley, Chapeltown, Hawksworthwood, Beeston and Windmill Children's Centres. There are in total 67 Sure Start Children's Centres around the country.

Children's Minister Margaret Hodge said: "The early years services which have today become Sure Start children's centres are helping families access the services they need, where and when they need it.

"We want to make sure that the individual child is at the centre of everything we do - that is the Sure Start approach which I want to see extended across all children's services. Our children's Green paper sets out our proposals for doing just that."

Children's centres are being established in the most disadvantaged areas to serve at least 650,000 children and their families by 2006.

(gmcg)

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