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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

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Joanne Topping (Coalfields) 0191 385 1814

• Dionne Smith - (North) • 0191 561 8126

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Rebecca Moore(Washington) 0191 219 3995

• Sharon Rutherford(East) • 07899745924

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