(-) A national project with localised initiatives supporting families and pre-school children.
A national programme that supports children and families through the early years with education, health and family services. New Deal has provided extra funding to ensure Sure Start in the West End can extend its provision further.
A government scheme which aims to improve the health and well-being of families and children before and from birth, so children are ready to flourish when they go to school by setting up local Sure Start programmes to improve services for families with children under four and spreading good practice learned from local programmes to everyone involved in providing services for young children. www.surestart.gov.uk
A cornerstone of the government's drive to eradicate child poverty in 20 years, and to halve it within ten. It aims to improve children's life opportunities by working with parents and parents-to-be in deprived areas and providing better access to family support, advice on nurturing, health services and early learning. Ministers are investing £580m in the scheme for the three years from April 2001.
The government's programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early years education, childcare, health care and family support.
An initiative that aims to improve children's life opportunities by funding projects that work with parents and parents-to-be in deprived areas.
A new, innovative cross-departmental strategy to improve services for children under four and their families in disadvantaged areas. Over the next three years it will support the development of at least 250 local programmes across England. These programmes will involve parents and carers as much as possible.
Sure Start is a cross-departmental initiative bringing together Government, early years and childcare programmes which promote the development of young children – particularly those who are disadvantaged – from before they are born up to age 14, (16 for those with special needs), and help strengthen families and reduce poverty by enabling parents to work, learn and study. It is a joint responsibility for the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills. Vote The amount Parliament approves (Votes) in the Appropriation Act to cover departmental expenditure requested in Supply Estimates. Financial control is exercised not only over the amount of spending, but also over the type of expenditure which may properly be undertaken within the ambit (scope) of the Vote, which is defined in the Act. Widows' Benefits A generic term covering Widow's Payment, Widow's Pension and Widowed Mother's Allowance. These are contributory benefits. Bereavement Benefit, payable to eligible widows and widowers, replaced Widow's Benefits for new claims from April 2001.
Sure Start is a UK Government initiative,originating in the Treasury, with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development. The programme was originally intended to support families from pregnancy until children were four years old but the brand was extended to cover an undefined responsibity up to age fourteen, or sixteen for those with disabilities. Launched in 1998, Sure Start had similarities to the Early Head Start programme in the United States and is also comparable to Australia Head Start and Ontario’s Early Years Plan.
