Welcome to
Sunderland
Children’s Centres
Volunteer Information
Session
The story behind Children’s Centres
• 1999
Government announced radical new programme – Sure Start – to
run alongside the Early Excellence Programme
• Sure Start Local Programmes were set up across England aimed at children under 5 and families in areas of disadvantage
• Programmes later expanded to include childcare for children
up to 14 (16 for those with disabilities or special needs)
• There were seven Sure Start Local Programmes open in
Sunderland and one Early Excellence Centre by 2003
• 2005
Sunderland City Council moved away from postcode specific
programmes to provide a standardised core offer of services
which would be open to everyone living across the city
• Today there are 17 city wide Sunderland Children’s Centres
What are Children’s Centres?
Sunderland Children’s Centres work to offer parents the
opportunity to improve their knowledge, skills and
experience to enable them to support their children.
• Play and learn activities to help children with their
learning and development
• Childcare
• Family support
• Child and family health services
• Practical help and advice on raising a young family
• Companionship and advice
Why Children’s Centres?
• Designed to give every child in Sunderland
the best start in life and help them reach their
full potential
• Brings together quality early learning,
childcare, parenting advice, health services
and help for parents to find work or training
Core offer and entitlement for families
available through Children’s Centre
• Early education integrated with childcare
• Play and learn activities
• Parent and family support
• Child and family health services
• Pathways to training and employment
• Information and advice through the
Families Information Service
Volunteer Opportunities
• Play and Learn – help in groups such as
Messy Play, Story Sessions and Busy Bodies
• Community – from event helpers to forum
members, Dads and Kids club
• Health – Breastfeeding peer support, Baby
Days groups
• Administration – support the admin office
AREA CO-ORDINATION OF CHILDREN’S CENTRES AND EXTENDED SERVICES
Direct working relationship with Mainstream
Service provision in cluster area e.g.
Modern Matron – TPCT, Locality Service
Manager – Social Care, Head Teachers,
Nursery and Primary Schools, GPs, Private
and Voluntary Sector
Management
Role
Co-ordinating
Role
Children’s
Services
Other
Extended Services Area
Co-ordinator
Community & Family Support
Co-ordinator
Health Co-ordinator
Extended
Services
Co-ordinator
Early Years Foundation
Stage Consultant
Qualified
Teacher/s
Admin Manager
Health Trusts
Social
Care
Admin
Support
Finance /
Monitoring
Admin
Support
Admin /
CIS
Community
Involvement
Contract
Paediatrics
Health
Visiting
Service
Smoking
Cessation
Antenatal
Service
Social
Work
Child & Family
Worker
Early Years
Mental Health
Service
Childminder
Co-ordinator
Community
Volunteer Worker
Family
Support
Worker
VOLUNTEERS
Senior
Early
Years
Practitioner
Community
Involvement
Worker
Admin Assistants
Maternity
Services
Children’s
Essentials
Service
Extended
Services
Development
Worker
Play & Family
Learning
Workers
Childminders
Who can volunteer?
• People from all sections of the community will be
invited to volunteers
• Volunteers will be selected purely in the basis of their
ability to do the voluntary work
• Everyone will be valued regardless of their ability,
age, economic or social background, culture, ethnic
origin, language, race, religious and political beliefs,
marital and parental status, gender and sexuality
• All volunteers will get an equal chance to do more
training to develop and progress
How can community involvement and
volunteering make a difference?
• To you…
• Building confidence
• Sharing ideas and
meeting people
• Gain new experiences
and skills
• Support in return to
work
• Opportunities to gain
recognised
qualifications
• To the community…
• Responding to
community needs
• Developing new groups
and contributing to
community capacity
building
• Building skills within the
community
How can community involvement and
volunteering make a difference?
• To Children's
Centres…
• Can offer unique peer
support services and
community led activities
• To be able to
consultation with a
range of partners to
improve services for
families in Sunderland
• “enable parents and
carers within the
Children’s Centre area
to create an emotionally
secure and protective
environment for children
to grow and develop to
their full potential”.
Who are we?
Community Volunteer Workers
• Judith Turnbull (West)
• 0191 5534127
•
•
•
Joanne Topping
(Coalfields)
0191 385 1814
• Dionne Smith - (North)
• 0191 561 8126
•
Rebecca Moore(Washington)
0191 219 3995
• Sharon Rutherford(East)
• 07899745924
•