Harrow
Children’s Centres
A strategy document for
Harrow children’s centres
Working in partnership with extended schools. April 2009
Contents
The purpose of the Children’s Centre Strategy
2
About the Strategy
Children’s centres policy
Outcomes for children
Links to other strategies
4
4
5
Aims of the strategy
Strategy targets
8
Activity
A brief overview of Harrow’s 16 children’s centres
Locations of Harrow’s children’s centres
10
12
Conclusion
14
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The purpose of this Children’s
Centre Strategy
This strategy for children’s centres sets out
the intention to have a children’s centre in
every community.
The policy statement for children’s centres,
accompanying the strategy, brings together
into one document, the best practice and
legislative requirements around children’s
centres.
The policy sets out to:
•
Create clarity around outcomes for
children
•
Set strategic aims and direction for the
next two years
•
Set service access targets
•
Set targets to match priorities with
resources.
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About the Strategy
This strategy is focused
on outcomes for children
Children’s centres policy
Outcomes for children
The policy sets the principles by
which children’s centre’s services
will be provided.
This strategy is focused on
improving outcomes for children.
An outcome-based approach is at
the heart of the Children Bill and is
highlighted in ‘Every Child Matters –
Next Steps’. The five outcomes for
all children are set out clearly within
these. They have been welcomed
and endorsed by Harrow Council
and other agencies.
The policy states that we must:
•Provide community based centres,
which respond to the individual
needs of children and their families
•Promote National Sure Start
principles
•Establish core services, which
are achievement and prevention
focused
•Ensure access to pre-school
education so that children can
achieve their learning potential
•Provide effective management
structures for the centres
•Promote healthy living – physical,
mental and emotional well-being
•Provide maximum accessibility to
children’s centres
•Provide swift and easy access to
services provided at children’s
centres.
www.childrenatthecentre.org.uk
The five outcomes are:
•Being healthy – enjoying good
physical and mental health and
living a healthy lifestyle
•Staying safe – being protected
from harm including seeing or
hearing the ill treatment of others,
neglect and growing up able to look
after themselves
•Enjoying and achieving – getting
the most out of life and developing
broad skills to adulthood
•Making a positive contribution – to
the community and to society and
not engaging in anti-social or
offending behaviour
•Achieving economic well-being – in
order to minimise disadvantage.
4
The Children’s Centre
Strategy also links with
other strategies to
maximise benefits to
children and families.
Links to other strategies
The Harrow Children and Young Peoples Plan published in May
2009 sets out Harrow Council and partner agencies’ aspirations to
provide locally accessible early intervention and prevention services
to families with young children.
The development of Harrow’s sixteen children’s centres together
with the Extended Schools Strategy will ensure a full range of locally
accessible extended services are available to meet the identified
needs of families.
These services will include:
•Parenting support services
•Family learning
•Integrated care and education
•Study support
•Health promotion, advice and support.
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Harrow Integrated Early Years and Community
Services will work closely with colleagues from all
partner agencies to implement a co-ordinated approach
to developing extended services.
This includes:
•Encompassing the population approach of public
health and integrating this with individual and
family work
•Developing strategic partnerships, with pre-school
establishments
•Working with the community to identify needs and find
solutions
•Developing co-located, multi-skilled teams, with the
commitment to meet local need
•Teams of health visitors and midwifes working in
geographical areas whose boundaries are co-terminus
with education and social care.
The Children’s Centre Strategy also links with other
strategies to maximise benefits to children and families.
These strategies include:
•Shaping Schools for the Future Strategy
•Special Need Transport Policy
•Business Transformation Project: First Contact
•Integrated Workforce Strategy
•Community Cohesion Strategy.
6
Aims of the strategy
Harrow has been set a
target of developing
sixteen children’s centres
across Harrow to reach
14,200 children
Main aims of the strategy
Strategy targets
There are three aims and specifications
of this strategy, each of which have
targets associated with them.
Harrow has been set a target of
developing sixteen children’s centres
across the borough reaching 14,200
children. This target has been set by
government and is based on:
•Harrow having an under fives population
of 14,200
These are:
•To enable children in all parts of
Harrow to have access to a full range of
achievement and prevention - focused,
integrated services through children’s
centres
•To link the sixteen children’s centres
with the work of extended school clusters
•To ensure that all the main centres
have developed themes of expertise to
incorporate local needs which will be
linked to:
- Local and national data
- Other strategies and key
developments including:
Early years foundation stage data
profile information, Parenting
Strategy and Health Visitors
Strategy
- To develop phase three children’s
centres to be outreach - focused.
•892 under fives living in Harrow’s areas
of disadvantage that fall in the bottom
30% wards according to the Indices of
Deprivation.
The sixteen centres are strategically
placed across the borough. Each
children’s centre is unique in design.
Six centres are within school partnership
agreements with Head Teachers and
governing bodies. Nine centres are
stand-alone and all vary in size and
service provision.
Management committees are in place to
both support and monitor the work of the
centres and support user participation in
the development of services.
8
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Activity
A brief overview of all the
children’s centres.
Hillview Children’s Centre
Hillview was the first children’s centre
to be designated. (April 2006) Hillview
underwent significant refurbishment
under the Early Excellence Project to
enable it to provide the full core offer
of services to a very high standard.
Stanmore Park Children’s Centre
Stanmore Park Children’s Centre is
located in the heart of the new Stanmore
Park Estate. The Centre was designated
in 2006 and provides workplace nursery
places for employees of Harrow Council
and the PCT.
Gange Children’s Centre
Gange Children’s Centre has undergone
significant modernisation so that the
space can be used to its fullest potential.
This centre links with Vernon Lodge
Housing Hostel and Robinson Court and
a wide range of early intervention and
prevention services are provided.
Cedars Children’s Centre
Cedars Children’s Centre is the largest
children’s centre and is a brand new
building.
The centre provides a workplace for a
number of professionals who together
provide services which meet the needs
of parents with young children.
Cedars pre-school is located in the
children’s centre.
Pinner Wood Children’s Centre
Pinner Wood Children’s Centre works in
partnership with Pinner Wood School.
Kenmore Park Children’s Centre
Kenmore Park Children’s Centre is a
new building and is closely linked to
the Kenmore Park Schools and the
Stanmore Kenton Extended School
Cluster.
Community midwifery services provide
antenatal care and link with health
visitors to provide a range of services
for parents with young children.
Chandos Children’s Centre
Chandos Children’s Centre is located
in Edgware on the border with Barnet.
The centre is a conversion of an old
“off-licence” shop and it provides a
venue for a range of family support
services including breastfeeding
support, toy library and a parent/carer
and toddler group.
Grange Children’s Centre
Grange Children’s Centre has been
developed in partnerships with the
Grange schools.
The children’s centre is located in the
heart of the first school and provides a
range of services through partnership
working including family learning
activities, early intervention groups
and parenting support events.
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Whitefriars Children’s Centre
Whitefriars Children’s Centre works in
partnership with Whitefriars School.
The children’s centre was opened in
2006 and has developed a wide range
of services with partners including
midwifery services, Homestart groups,
Pre-school Learning Alliance Art and
Craft shop.
Rayners Lane Children Centre
Rayners Lane Children Centre works in
Partnership Between Integrated Early
Years and Community Services and
Home Housing. The centre provides a
range of services for families with young
children from the local community.
The Pinner Centre
The Pinner Centre is a re-development
of an existing Harrow Council building,
which is at the edge of Pinner Park.
St Joseph’s Children’s Centre
St Joseph’s Children’s Centre has
been developed in partnership with of
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.
With an official opening date of spring
2010 the centre provides a venue for the
Pinner Centre Pre-School and a range
of services for the community especially
children, young people and new
parent/carers.
The children’s centre is the base for
the school nursing services and has
a specialist early years, speech and
language focus.
Vaughan Road Neighbourhood
Resource Centre
Vaughan Road works in partnership with
Adult Services. The children’s centre
focus is on information, support and
advice through outreach services and
timetabled sessions.
Roxbourne Children’s Centre
Roxbourne Children’s Centre is a small
centre, which has been developed in
partnership with Roxbourne Schools.
The centre provides a number of
services which support parents with
young children.
Service level agreements with key
partners support the availability of
the following:
• Counselling –
- couple
- family
• Citizens Advice bureau
Silverdale Children’s Centre
Silverdale Children’s Centre works in
partnership with Safeguarding and
Family Support Services. A wide range
of services are provided for families
with young children who need targeted
support and intervention.
Elmgrove Children’s Centre
Elmgrove Children’s Centre is a
re-development of the Elmgrove Schools
caretaker’s bungalow. A strong
partnership with the Elmgrove schools
has established a number of communityled services including domestic violence
support, counselling, outreach services
and a range of carer and toddler groups.
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For more in-depth information on
each centre and to see a list of all
activities please visit the Harrow
Children’s Centre website
www.childrenatthecentre.org.uk
Locations of Harrow’s
children’s centres.
St Joseph's
The Pinner Centre
Elmgrove
Vaughan Road NRC
Roxbourne
South Harrow
Rayners Lane
Silverdale Centre
12
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Conclusion
This strategy for children’s centres has been
placed in the context of clear government
priorities and in relation to other strategies
which have the potential to impact on
children’s centres.
The purpose and aims of the strategy have
been clearly outlined and the targets are
realistic and realisable.
The contents of this strategy will need to be
communicated through learning and
development activities so that its aims and
targets will become a reality. At the same
time managers at all levels will need to
understand their role, responsibilities and
accountabilities in making the whole system
work effectively.
This strategy will be reviewed annually to
ensure that the outcomes proposed are
being achieved and that the targets remain
appropriate given the experience during the
previous year.
14
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Harrow
Children’s Centres
For more information visit
www.childrenatthecentre.org.uk