Improving Services for Young Children

'This book is a welcome addition to the field of Early Childhood studies and would appeal to both students and professionals working with children and families in any area. The format of the book is clear and the style of writing is very readable and engaging' - ESCalate ' In this excellent book two of the principal investigators from the huge national evaluation of Sure Start bring together key findings of "what works" as the local programmes are turned into children's centres and rolled out across England. Chapters on all aspects of Sure Start and children's centres reflect the services themselves in providing a valuable "one stop shop" for those who want to understand how to work effectively with young children and their parents' - Dame Gillian Pugh, Visiting Professor, Institute of Education, University of London This book sets out important insights gained from the National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS). The contributors present the effects of Sure Start from a range of perspectives and explore the successful and problematic aspects of the programme with its vision of improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged families. They also map and evaluate the progression of the programme into Children's Centres and Extended Schools. Each contributor provides an overview of their specialist area before outlining the findings from the study and its implications for developing Children's Services. These areas include: - Ethnicity - Childcare - Parents - Special Needs - Maternity Services - Domestic Violence - Buildings and Spaces. The chapters set out the practical lessons learned from these areas for practitioners, professionals and policy makers in the field of children's services, as well as those involved in the setting up of Children's Centres and reform of multi-agency children's services. The book will be relevant to undergraduate students on Childhood Studies Degrees, Early Years Professional Foundation Degrees students, postgraduate students on National Qualification for Managers of Children's Centres and Masters related to Integrated Children's Services. It is also for those with an interest in anti-poverty intervention programmes for young children and their families around the world.