What is the Sure Start policy?

What is the Sure Start policy?

Sure Start is a programme targeted at parents and children under the age of four living in the most disadvantaged areas. Sure Start projects deliver a wide variety of services which are designed to support children’s learning skills, health and well-being, and social and emotional development.

When did Sure Start stop?

The Sure Start children’s centre programme was one of the key initiatives for young children and their families under the Labour government between 1998 and 2010.

Who invented Sure Start?

Tessa Jowell
Launched in 1998 by Tessa Jowell, Sure Start had similarities to the much older, and similarly named, Head Start programme in the United States and is also comparable to Australia Head Start and Ontario’s Early Years Plan.

When was Sure Start implemented?

1998
Sure Start was a flagship Labour policy, announced in 1998 in Parliament. It was launched in 1999 as an area-based programme to deliver services and support to young children and their families, with £450 million (m) in funding in the first three years.

Is Sure Start successful?

Sure Start children’s centres delivered major health benefits for youngsters in the most deprived areas, reducing the number of people taken to hospital and delivering millions of pounds in savings to the NHS, a study has found.

Are Sure Start Centres closing?

The Sure Start children’s centres programme, introduced in 1999 by the last Labour government, has had its spending cut by two-thirds since 2010 and more than 500 centres have officially been closed.

Does Sure Start still exist?

Sure Start was a flagship New Labour project designed to boost the educational and life chances of socially and economically disadvantaged children. Between 500 and 1,000 Sure Start centres have closed in England since 2010, according to recent research.

Was the Sure Start policy successful?

Despite initial mistakes, the success of the Sure Start programme has been to prove that government does have a role to play in the development of young children. Mistakes made in estimations of time-frames and complexities meant that Sure Start did not deliver all the scheme promised.

What impact has Sure Start had?

Sure Start increased hospitalisations among very young children. At age 1, having access to an extra centre per thousand children under 5 increased the probability of a hospitalisation in the neighbourhood cohort by 10%. This translates to roughly 6,700 additional hospitalisations a year.

Why did the Sure Start Centres close?

Imran Hussain, Action for Children’s director of policy, said despite the importance of children’s centres and their popularity among many families, years of cuts had left councils with little choice but to reduce Sure Start budgets and close centres. As a result, many services were harder to access.

How many children’s Centres have closed?

More than 1,300 children’s centres closed between 2010 and 2019, newly-published Government figure show.

What is a sure start Centre?

Sure Start centres give help and advice on child and family health, parenting, money, training and employment. Some centres also provide early learning and full day care for pre-school children. Contact your local council to find out about Sure Start centres in England.

When was suresure start set up?

Sure Start was set up in 1998 as a flagship policy of the first New Labour government, with the promise of ten years funding. However, in 2003 it was superseded by plans for the establishment of Children’s Centres, a universal programme rather than one for disadvantaged areas as in the case of Sure Start local programmes.

What is the Sure Start programme?

The aim of the programme that emerged from the Review process – Sure Start – was intended to improve children’s health and their social, emotional and cognitive development, and to strengthen families and communities in disadvantaged areas.

What is a Sure Start Children’s Centre?

Indeed, the new Children’s Centres were called ‘Sure Start Children’s Centres’, with advice offered by the Sure Start Unit (DfES, 2006) on logos and ‘rebranding’, reflecting the importance of ‘market recognition’ in what has always been a mixed economy of early years childcare and education provision.

How do I start a career in policy analysis?

Some people begin working as policy analysts immediately after graduate school, but most employers require extensive work experience, even for entry-level positions. Candidates can start getting experience while still in school by working as professors, volunteering for nonprofits or starting in lower level jobs related to policy.