Strategic Proposal for
Children’s Centre & New Childcare Place Development
To be returned to Sure Start Regional Team in local Government Office
by 15 October 2003 at the latest
|
Local Authority |
Isle of Wight |
|
Key contact (will
be responsible for all queries from Sure Start Unit) |
|
|
Minimum reach
target by March 2006 from Sure Start Unit* |
2339 |
|
Indicative
revenue funding allocation from Sure
Start Unit* |
£438, 890 |
|
Indicative capital
funding allocation from Sure Start Unit* |
£685, 332 |
|
Target number of
pre school centre–based childcare places to be provided in the 20% most
disadvantaged wards by March 2006* |
102 |
|
Actual number of
under 5 yrs centre–based childcare places you can provide in disadvantaged
wards by March 2006. |
133 |
*These should be the
figures provided in the letter of 21 February 2003 from Naomi Eisenstadt that
set out your targets & allocations
Strategic Plan
Please outline:
·
The strategic
aims and objectives behind your proposals
·
How you are
reshaping services and
·
The key partners
you are involving in the development of children’s centres, including:
o
how do you plan
to develop /maintain links with Primary Care Trusts
o
voluntary
organisations and private providers
o
parents and
community representatives
·
Links to other
government initiatives e.g. extended schools, children’s trusts, neighbourhood
renewal, and rural regeneration.
·
If your area
includes rural wards in which children’s centre services are planned- what
flexibilities/adaptations to the children’s centre model are you proposing?
·
|
Over a number of years through the joint
Local Authority Early Years Unit, the EYDCP, local Sure Start Programme, and
more recent NNI and EEC developments, the Island has developed an ethos and
guiding principles that underpin all our work. These can be summarised as:
Our Early Years policy, recently amended,
reflects this view (Appendix
1). This will be endorsed in
committee in November 2003. Children’s services, particularly those
that support the most vulnerable children and their families lie at the heart
of the Isle of Wight’s Preventative Strategy and referral systems. Whilst this is still at the draft
consultation stage, you will find Children’s Centres featured in the draft
document (Appendix 2). This model which offers a one-stop shop for
all services for young children and their families, including training, basic
skills and support to return to work, is fundamental to all these
strategies. Indeed, all Island
schools are now operating in geographical clusters, working together to
support families and children from 5 – 18 years. Each cluster of schools will be linked to a Children’s
Centre. Professional clusters of
practitioners of children’s services meet regularly and will be involved in
these proposals. 11 professional
cluster groups of Early Years staff representing maintained and non-maintained
settings meet half-termly to share good practice and professional
development. We have had an open and sometimes very
large discussion group to help our thinking about how best to meet the needs
of the most children. All sectors and
agencies and parents have attended and we have had some lively and
interesting debates. A smaller
planning group now meets regularly to draw up the plan and to continue its
implementation and to form a support group for the providers who will
ultimately deliver the services (Appendix 3 - List of
Participants in Planning Group & Notes) Participation in planning and consultation
is required if we are to promote the concept and deliver our challenging
proposals. The Primary Care Trust has worked in conjunction with all it’s stakeholders in the planning of the children’s centres. There is a shared philosophy, vision and commitment with agreed principles of working with children and families for the implementation and success of children’s centres. The joining up of services and disciplines such as education, social care, family support and health areas, documented in the start up guidance, are a key factor in determining good out comes for children and their families. The PCT in conjunction with the IOW Healthcare NHS Trust is committed to continue with the support already offered in the development of the children’s centres on the Island. The Isle of Wight Local Authority with its
Early Years Development and Child Care Partnership, the Health Authority and
all key partners submit this plan for approval. This plan outlines and provides details of
the individual centres that make up a network of co-ordinated and integrated
services for children and families across the Isle of Wight. The Island offers a range of challenges to
strategic planners and does not easily fit into neat and tidy packages. There are 15 wards of disadvantage in the
lowest 20% and these are spread right across the Island. They cover small towns and urban
areas. Rural deprivation and
associated transport and access issues are also key features of the Island. (Appendix 4 – Profile of The
Isle of Wight) We have developed a strong and effective
infrastructure for the development of inclusive and integrated services for
children, particularly in disadvantaged areas. Seven new Neighbourhood Nurseries are being developed; one is already open and two additional
providers are offering revenue places under the scheme. We have two Early Excellence Centres
currently busy at the building and development stage and a range of other
voluntary private and maintained sector providers of integrated care and
education services. We have a
thriving and effective partnership with Social Services and Health
professionals and an excellent Children’s Information Service (FIZ). From September 2003, there will be
universal early education for all three and four year olds. Aspects of our Early Years Practice and
Developments have been put forward as a Beacon Theme, and we are justifiably
proud of our capacity to deliver high quality, innovative, accessible
services for children which provide them with the best possible start. We are building upon these developments and
our overall vision and strategic planning, in order to provide Children’s
Centre hub and spokes in as many disadvantaged areas as possible. Although our reach target by 2006 is 2339,
we want to do better than this.
Economically, politically, socially and morally, we could not justify
the development of one or two Centres, so our plan is ambitious and
challenging. Our Centres will have a central team to
support their development and growth.
We have found this to be essential for sustainability and capacity
building. Some will be linked, i.e.
spokes to a larger hub; some will be
connected by other agendas, i.e. economic regeneration plans or town
development plans. We are committed
to ensuring the best value for money and, where possible, bringing matched
funding into the framework. The Children’s Centre Developments are
linked to our overall LEA strategy and vision for good quality play, care and
education for every child, that is accessible, affordable and inclusive. As with the Neighbourhood Nursery project,
facilities in areas of disadvantage will be the primary focus if our services
although the Children’s Centres will
need to offer Universal Services to all families within the catchment area,
whether or not they meet benefit or social exclusion criteria. Families
living outside the catchment area and meet certain benefit or social
exclusion criteria will also be targeted. Some families will be offered targeted
support for example, specialist midwifery services for young parents, home
visiting services for families in crisis or who have mental health problems
and activities for children with communication difficulties. Most services
will be universal and free at the point of delivery to all families living
within the catchment area. There are effective partnerships with the
following organisations who have contributed to the development and/or
consultation on the Children’s Centre Plan: §
The Learning
Partnership and Family Learning Forum §
The
Children’s Fund Programme §
Sure Start
Local Programme §
St Mary’s
Hospital Trust §
Primary Care
Trust §
Voluntary and
Private Providers §
Rural
Community Council §
Children’s
Library Service §
EYDCP §
Isle of Wight
Economic Partnership §
Job Centre
Plus §
Home Start §
Families
First (private Island based company offering family support and evaluation
services) §
Training
providers §
YOT and
Connexions §
North Medina
Community Development Trust §
Ryde
Development Trust §
Ventnor
Community Partnership By providing a multi-disciplinary approach, locally based and
accessible to all families (based on effective models in SureStart Ryde) we
aim to re-shape services to best meet the needs of families. A multi-agency
approach to Special Educational Needs and disabilities has been in practice
on the Island for several years, with notable success for both the children
and the practitioners themselves. To summarise: ·
Early
Excellence Centres and NNI projects form the basis for our delivery
plan. The private, voluntary and
statutory sectors have all participated both in the planning stage and will
also deliver the services thereby helping to build local capacity. ·
These
proposals will form a major part of our Early Years Development and Child
Care strategy and our plans to support extended schools, a full service
school and child care within those schools. ·
We have a
good record on delivering the targets in our Early Years plan and on
providing and sustaining quality integrated provision which is accessible to
all children. ·
The Local
Authority Committee for Children and Young People and the Children and Young
People’s Strategic Partnership and EYDCP Executive have all had an
opportunity to share this draft consultation plan and to discuss the
implications and demonstrate commitment to the plan (Consultation
Distribution List Appendix 5 ). ·
Rural issues
will not be addressed by these proposals alone. We have put together a supplementary proposal which will link
this delivery plan with rural areas through outreach, federation, transport
and shared delivery of services (Appendix 6). These
rural proposals cannot be supported within the current level of finance and
can only become reality with additional funding. |
Please describe your commissioning
arrangements. How will you
ensure that centres meet the core offer and that the required integration
features are met? How will you ensure services are fully available to children
with disabilities? What contract monitoring arrangements will be set up?
|
There will need to be a level of
centralised co-ordination for the Children’s Centres which will provide
support and information (a one-stop shop). This centralised function will also
provide: ·
Financial
Services providing economies of scale, auditing and monitoring. ·
Co-ordination
of the whole programme ensuring targets are met and links are made to wider
strategic and implementation plans. ·
Evaluation
and monitoring to provide government returns etc. This will also provide a picture of the Islandwide impact as
well as the local impact of Services, taking into account other determinants
that impact on communities and areas of disadvantage. ·
Quality
Assurance and Best Value for centralised services, training and professional
development. ·
Co-ordination
of public health services. ·
Central
commissioning of services will ensure a cost effective approach to local
delivery. ·
Provide
consistency of service delivery and access to a wider range of services. ·
Centralised
resources would limit the need for physical space in areas where physical
resources are very limited and costly. The Local Authority has past experience of implementing Service Level
Agreements or Memoranda of Understanding with private and voluntary sector
providers of services. Providers of Children’s Centre services would be
subject to the same arrangements that would include: ·
Meeting the
core offer for each child/family. ·
A management
structure model which reflects all aspects of the local community, including
parents and community representatives. ·
Evidence of
regular consultation with local parents, children and providers. ·
Financial
management. Ensuring all accounts are
open to audit. ·
Data
collection for monitoring and evaluation and central collation. ·
Professional
development and training: min 4 days
per annum for each member of staff. ·
Working
within the 0-3s framework. ·
Taking
account of “Together from the Start” for children with disabilities and
special needs 0-3 framework. ·
Compliance
with the SEN Code of Practice. ·
Implementation
of anti-discriminatory practice. ·
Ensuring all
services are inclusive and respectful of diversity and family background. ·
Quality
assurance – a commitment to work towards IiC accreditation in the case of
Childcare Providers, and other appropriate QA Schemes for other services
delivered. ·
Local
recruitment and employment following approved procedure for equal
opportunities, anti discrimination recruitment and employment guidelines. ·
Meeting
standards for Registration (OFSTED). ·
Sub-contracting
with local providers, (SLA’s) and additional services when necessary. The central co-ordinator will be responsible for setting up and
monitoring these Service Level Agreements, against a set of agreed,
measurable and achievable indicators. |
Capital Plans. Please outline your project management arrangements to ensure
developments are completed in time for children’s centres to be operational by
March 2006.
|
There are many practitioners on the Island experienced in project
management and development. Two Early Excellence Centres and six Neighbourhood Nursery
developments have required an extensive team of staff both in settings and
within the central team to become skilled in all aspects of project
management. Implementation of project management techniques and systems applied
during the development of Early Excellence Centres and Neighbourhood
Nurseries will ensure that a familiar, logical process is followed. We are
confident the experience of the team will lead to timely completion of the
capital element of the Isle of Wight Children Centre proposals. To this end, each centre will delegate a staff member to co-ordinate
local arrangements, with a steering/management group representing users and
the wider community. A centrally based Children’s Centre co-ordinator will offer guidance
on the process of capital development nd capital build and ‘trouble-shoot’
where necessary. Training and advice will be provided by appropriate professionals
when identified as necessary by the central co-ordinator. Our proposals are based around existing provision and services. Many
elements of the core offer are already available to families through existing
settings around which Children’s Centres are planned. We are therefore
confident that each Children’s Centre will be offering the full core offer
and a valuable service to families by March 2006. |
Social Inclusion Strategy. Please describe your social inclusion strategy for Children’s Centres,
demonstrating how you will:
- prioritise and plan inclusive services
for minority ethnic families
- consult with families from all ethnic
groups in area served by centre.
- implement culturally appropriate
services
- ensure staff in centre represent
cultural mix of local community.
-
This strategy should
include measure to ensure that babies and young children from minority ethnic
families have the equal opportunity to flourish at home and when they get to
school.
|
The Isle
of Wight Council is committed to equal opportunities and inclusion, embracing
diversity as an underpinning theme within
the Isle of Wight Corporate plan.
Following
the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act
2000, the Island recognises equality of access and service delivery as
increasingly important, and is mainstreaming equality and inclusion issues
into all stages of planning and delivery of services through the Equality
Standard for Local Government. In the
positive promotion of social inclusion, the Isle of Wight is resolved to
ensure that everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, sexuality, disability
or marital status has an opportunity to maximise their potential, so that
they can fully participate in society and Island life. It is committed to focus on the needs of
people who are likely to be disadvantaged, which include: §
Disabled
people and children §
Women §
People from
ethnic minorities §
Carers and
people responsible for children and other dependants §
People on low
incomes, people with minority religions or cultures §
Young people §
Older people §
Sexual
Orientation §
People with
HIV, drug dependency or who have mental health problems §
People with
learning difficulties §
The rurally
isolated They are
also committed, alongside their partners in Early Years, in the promotion of
positive learning experiences and celebration of cultural diversity, and seek
to work with childcare providers to co-ordinate and deliver high quality
early years provision for all.
Through the Education and Community Development Strategic Plan and
with its partners, the Isle of Wight seeks to promote learning that is
accessible to all, regardless of ethnicity, culture or physical, social and
intellectual attributes and ability to pay.
It recognises the need to identify, challenge and break down
discriminatory barriers by the implementation of the Isle of Wight Equality
and Diversity policy, which identifies that inclusion and equality are common
themes in their objectives for Island regeneration. ·
The Early
Years Development and Child Care Partnership is committed to these
principles. ·
It will be a
requirement of all Centres and Services offered to families to comply with
equal opportunity legislation and the SEN Code of Practice. ·
Adoption of
Recruitment and Employment practices which ensure equal opportunities for
employees and candidates. ·
Early
Education settings currently sign an agreement which includes a commitment to
inclusion and compliance with the Early Years Partnership’s equal
opportunities policy. ·
This will
form part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the new Centres and the
LEA. ·
Centres will
need to demonstrate that they offer specific and targeted services where
appropriate to meet the needs of children and their families, i.e. §
individual
development/family plans for children with additional needs; §
bi-lingual
support services, ESL group/classes, bi-lingual information; §
information
available in video or taped formats; §
accessible
and user friendly buildings and playrooms reflecting diversity and cultural
and linguistic backgrounds. §
support for
the Socially excluded §
a translation
service and ESL support §
sensitive responses
to enquiries from FIZ §
bi-lingual
learning resources, such as library resources. Families
will need appropriate information and will be consulted about the most
effective services for them. The Island, through SureStart Ryde, has a team
of experienced parents and community members, who have received formal
training and have carried out a number of successful community consultation
exercises, which have lead to the development and delivery of services for
the Ryde community. It is anticipated that this model of good practice can be
duplicated for other areas of the Island. |
Planned spending profile
|
|
2003/4 |
2004/5 |
2005/6 |
Total £ |
|
Revenue |
|
426,000 |
469,000 |
895,000 |
|
Capital |
|
445,000 |
445,000 |
|
Number of children you plan to
reach through children’s centre services
|
2003/4 |
2004/5 |
2005/6 |
Total Number |
|
|
Ryde – 700 Newport (Pan and West) –
100 West Wight – 100 South Wight – 150 Cowes (East & West)
– 100 Ventnor – 50 1250 |
Ryde – 850 Newport (Pan and West) –
321+ 182 West Wight – 145 South Wight – 333 Cowes (East & West)
– 369 Ventnor – 138+144 2378 |
3628 |
Total new day care places created (either in
children centres or other settings)
|
2003/4 |
2004/5 |
2005/6 |
Total Number |
|
|
Ryde – 24 (New
Building) Newport – New CM West Wight – 0 South Wight – 35 Cowes – 24 Ventnor – 50
(extend hours + new baby places) |
133 |
|
Summary of Individual Centre Proposals
(please copy and complete this table for each proposed centre)
|
Name of setting |
SureStart Ryde
Local Project |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
Ryde North East Ryde North West Ryde South West St Johns - 1 Services will
extend across Ward Boundaries to cover the existing SureStart Local Project
area |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
SureStart Local
Project |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
April 2005 |
|
Total number
of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
167 |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
24 |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
Ryde North East –
117 Ryde North West –
66 Ryde South West –
110 St Johns 1
(approx) – 114 (Figures from the 2001 Census) Additional take-up
from families living in catchment area outside these wards Additional take-up
from families living outside the catchment area but meeting means-testing Figures for St Johns – 1 an estimation as
the Ward Boundaries have moved. St Johns 1 & 2 are now incorporated into
St Johns East and West. |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
Capital work
required - costs being met out of
SureStart Local Programme costs |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
September 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
SureStart Ryde is
a well established and successful SureStart Local Programme in a rural town
on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight. Currently offering
services to families with children under 4 years old, the programmes plans to
extend its services to families with children under 5 and beyond. This SureStart
Local programme will act as a model for reconfiguration of services and
partnership working for other children’s centres on the Isle of Wight |
|
Name of setting |
Newport – Barton
Early Years Centre encompassing Newport Town |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
Pan Newport Central
(Outreach)* *Due to the movement of Ward Boundaries,
Newport Central is now incorporated into Newport North and South. |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
Early Excellence
Centre Social Services
support centre Pre-schools on
school sites Childminder
Network |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
September 2004 |
|
Total number
of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
68 (At First
Steps) 50 (at Ladders) New CM Places |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
New CM Places |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
Newport Pan – 182 Newport Central –
321 *Due to the movement of Ward Boundaries,
Newport Central is now incorporated into Newport North and South. |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
New Conservatory
at Early Excellence Centre to create Community Café/parents drop-in centre -
£15,000 Completion
September 2004 |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
September 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
Barton Early Years
Centre has received Early Excellence status and is working towards providing
Children’s Centre core offer from a purpose-built centre currently in
development within the grounds of Barton Primary School. Located within the
most deprived ward on the Island, this centre is surrounded by a housing
estate with a diverse range of social and privately owned dwellings. Families
who experience significant disadvantage share the estate with families who
are less disadvantaged, so leading to a mix of backgrounds and experiences. The estate is the
focus of a number of community development programmes. Despite their
adjacent position, families from Newport North and South do not historically
access the services offered at the Barton Centre. Therefore, to ensure hat
the families within the Newport North and South wards have an opportunity to
access Children’s Centre Services, it is proposed to extend the services of
Barton Early Years Centre to appropriate settings within Newport Town. The newly
refurbished St James Centre will offer family support services, while
childminders and pre-schools and day nurseries will offer childcare
integrated with Early Education. A number of
established Health Clinics are enhanced by the provision of Parent and
Toddler Groups supported by the local Health Visitors. The CIS ShopFront
(FIZ) is based within the town, offering mobile outreach across the Island. |
|
Name of setting |
Ventnor Children’s
Centre |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
Ventnor – 1 Ventnor – 2 These wards have
now become Ventnor East and Ventnor West |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
Neighbourhood
Nursery Pre-school based
on school site Health Clinic
Services |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
March 2006 |
|
Total number
of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
90 |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
50 |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
Ventnor East – 138 Ventnor West -
144 |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
Refurbishment
existing buildings to provide Community facilities including health and
family support and childcare. £185,000 March 2006 |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
September 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
Ventnor is a seaside
town on the exposed South Coast of the Island. The community of
Ventnor is split as the town is built on the side of the cliff, and Upper
Ventnor lies many feet above Lower Ventnor. Recognising this,
the Children’s Centre in Ventnor will deliver its services from sites both in
Upper and Lower Ventnor, from existing provision and newly refurbished
buildings. As an area of
disadvantage, Ventnor has recently secured a commitment for Community
Development resources. |
|
Name of setting |
West Wight Nursery Totland Pre-school |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
Totland |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
Early Excellence
Centre |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
April 2004 |
|
Total number
of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
70 |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
0 |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
145 |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
Access and
creation of additional outdoor space £30,000 Completion
September 2005 |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
April 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
West Wight Nursery
has secured Early Excellence status and is well established as a Childcare
and Early Education provider, training provider and family support service,
based on a school site. Children’s Centre
funding will develop the existing provision, ensuring it is of the highest
standards and meets the needs of as many families as possible. |
Name of setting |
Furze Hill Childcare
Centre – with outreach |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
Shanklin South Lake North Shanklin North Shanklin Central Lake South This Proposal covers Shanklin & Lake, which is made up of 5 or
more wards. Certain areas of Lake and Shanklin are defined as disadvantaged
by the DETR indices – however ward boundaries have been moved, and so these
cannot be referenced. An area of
Shanklin South is recognised as a pocket of disadvantage by the SureStart
Unit (PO37 7LY). |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
Pre-schools on
School Sites NNI Health Centre Winchester House
(Voluntary organisation supporting young women) |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
April 2004 |
|
Total number of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
55 Furze Hill 8 CM 35 Extension of
existing places |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
35 Extension of
existing places |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
Shanklin South -
133 Lake North - 145 Shanklin North -
140 Shanklin Central -
129 Lake South - 66 |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
Purchase and
refurbishment of the St Georges building £100,000 Completion by March 2006 |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
September 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
Focused around
Furze Hill Childcare Centre, a Neighbourhood Nursery based on a school site,
the Shanklin and Lake Children’s Centre is ideally placed to reach
significant numbers of families that are experiencing disadvantage. A network of
pre-schools, some on school sites, will form the basis for a number of
peripatetic services working out of the Centre. Refurbishment of a
local building will enhance the Centre, providing a dedicated space for
family support and Health services as well as an informal meeting place for
families. |
Name of setting |
North Medina
Children’s Centre – East and West Cowes |
|
Ward that centre
is located in* |
East Cowes South
(Pocket) Osborne (East
Cowes) Cowes Medina (West
Cowes) One of the primary delivery
sites is located within East Cowes South, and recognised by the SureStart
Unit as a pocket of disadvantage (PO32 6EA) |
|
What type of
existing provision (or combination of provision) will the centre be based on? |
Neighbourhood
Nurseries – on School sites Family Learning |
|
Date by which
requirement to employ qualified teacher will be met. |
September 2005 |
|
Total number
of full day care places in this centre by March 2006 |
W Cowes 76 E Cowes 34 110 |
|
Number of new full
day care places in this centre by March 2006** |
W Cowes - 24 |
|
Number of children
under five in this centre’s catchment area |
179+89+266 = |
|
Will this centre
require any capital work? If so, how much capital funding will be allocated? When do you
estimate this work will be completed? |
West Cowes £70,000
– Build a new community facility, car parking and resourcing – March 2006 East Cowes £25,000 – Toward the rebuild of the
swimming pool complex which will offer a gym, baby/early years group work and
training – March 2006 |
|
Target date for
offering basic children’s centre services *** |
September 2004 |
|
Target date by
which integration criteria and full
core offer will be met (no later than March 2006) |
March 2006 |
|
Other comments |
Supported by the North Medina Community
Development Trust, this ambitious project aims to provide Children’s Centre
services to families living either side of the mouth of the River Medina. Belying its media image, Cowes, both East
and West, housed families suffering from significant disadvantage. This has been recognised and significant
work has already been done, developing family support and family learning
programmes, commitment to improve health service provision and the
development of a Neighbourhood Nursery on both sides of the water. A joint Children’s Centre for both towns
meets the community strategic plan which aims to bring the communities of the
towns together. Cowes Medina is in need of a community
focus, which can be achieved by developing the existing Neighbourhood Nursery
site, so providing a base for the delivery of health and family support
services, as well as providing a location for community based training and
education. The redevelopment of the swimming pool in
East Cowes (destroyed through arson) offers the opportunity to develop
Children’s Centre services around an amenity that offers health, family
support and social benefits. Its location within the school grounds, with an
adjacent Neighbourhood Nursery and family support team provides a natural
community focus. |