News

The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

20 March 2008

When we introduced our National Sure Start Program and then rolled it out in Dover I welcomed it warmly and I’ve been pleased to support our local scheme and promote its accomplishments ever since.

Sure Start is the Government’s programme for delivering the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support into central locations and reaching out and engaging with people.

Since it came to Dover we have benefited from the construction of the Triangles Centre at Poulton Close in St Radigunds Estate which comprises a modern Community Centre and a beautifully appointed nursery called Kidease. The Centre is busy with all sorts of activities but it also acts as a base for the Sure Start outreach workers.

Our political opponents have never supported the scheme and are highly critical of it but last week an independent report concluded that Sure Start Children’s Centres are having a positive impact on the lives of children and families

Children behave better and are more independent if they live in areas with Sure Start Children’s Centres and I've witnessed it close up from working with the Sure Start centres in Dover and I’m convinced that they are the best way for us to help all families early on.

Of course it’s parents who bring up children not the Government - and this research shows that Sure Start centres can help parents give their children the very best start in life.

This week the Government pledged that more would be done to take Sure Start’s work into the communities where it is most needed with a package of measures, backed up with funding and new outreach workers to reach out to the most disadvantaged families.

Outreach workers will provide effective home visiting and other support that will make a real difference to families who cannot access services.

Across the country there are now 2,500 Sure Start Centres open, with almost two million families benefiting from the range of services on offer and by 2010, the number will increase to 3,500 - so every family will have easy access to high-quality integrated services in their community and the benefits of Sure Start can be felt nationwide.

We now guarantees free part-time early education or nursery care for all 3 and 4 year-olds which equates to 12½ hours per week, 38 weeks per year and the stock of registered childcare places has been doubled in the last ten years to 1.3 million.

In the same week that Labour’s Sure Start program and Children’s Centres were commended, David Cameron announced that a Conservative Government would appoint extra Health Visitors. This seemed an entirely laudable proposal at first site but we now know that the extra staff would come at a cost and the cost would be a cut back in outreach workers which would threaten the future of Sure Start – and in my view that’s far too high a price to pay.