Ensuring the best possible start for children

January 20, 2010

It is a great pleasure to write for the Family Grapevine once again – As a parent of young children myself I always find it such an informative resource. Last year I wrote a piece about the growing network of Children & Family Centres in West Sussex and how they all are part of ensuring our children have the best possible start in life.

So by way of an update, I was delighted recently to have performed the turf-cutting ceremony for the Langley Green centre in Crawley. The new Langley Green centre unites three key community services in one building. The centre will accommodate a new front entrance for Langley Green Primary School, including administrative accommodation, the Langley Green Children & Family Centre and replacement accommodation for the Langley Green Community Centre. The Centre is phase one of a three-phased site development for Langley Green Primary School to replace all of the school accommodation in one building. The old Community Centre on the opposite side of the road will be used as the new Langley Green Youth Centre. And, work has already started on a redundant part of the school campus to develop a new, standalone medical centre. The new Langley Green Centre is being positioned next to this to create a community hub in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Across the county, Children & Family Centres have been developed to provide a place that children and families can go for help and advice for a range of services. These include access to:

• integrated care and education for children under five years

• family support and outreach to parents

• child and family health services

• a base for childminders

• links to Jobcentre Plus

We have avoided the ‘one size fits all approach’ because each centre’s team will plan with partners, including parents, how best to deliver services to meet local needs. A list of all the current and planned Children & Family Centres in West Sussex, including opening hours and contacts, can be found on our website www.westsussex.gov.uk by following the links to the West Sussex Grid for Learning. Our area’s local centres can be found in: Bewbush, Billingshurst, Broadfield, Langley Green, Roffey, Rural Horsham and Southgate. Soon to open early in 2010 are Maidenbower and Pound Hill centres. If you would like to watch a short video about our centres you can follow the front page website link marked West Sussex video and click on the film ‘Inside A Children and Family Centre’.

Whilst writing I would also like to take the opportunity of concentrating on the many children and parents benefiting from the work of West Sussex County Council’s Sitting Service. Here are just some examples -

Karl has Down’s syndrome and loves to go swimming. He has a brother and a sister who lead fairly independent lives – but life can be quite hectic, especially after school. That meant Karl spent a lot of time indoors with his mum, but he now has a Sitter friend to go swimming with him. Daisy has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. She communicates using her very expressive eyes. Her mum enjoys going to the gym now and again or to the shops without pushing a chair. A Sitting friend is now making a big difference to them both – by taking Daisy out for a walk once a week, so giving her mum a break. Mum, Laura, has an autistic son, Jake. He gets very anxious about going out and doesn’t like the shops, however, he enjoys the park when no one else is there. Jake now has a Sitter friend who spends time playing with him and doing his favourite things. Karl, Daisy and Jake’s Sitters are all volunteers with the County Council’s Sitting Service, which helps parents of disabled children take a much needed break from

caring.

The volunteers give four hours a fortnight. Some volunteers take children out and some look after the child while parents go out in the evening. The Sitting Service is currently recruiting more volunteers across the county. If you think you could make a difference there are families waiting to meet you. You do not need any experience of disability – you will be given training on disability issues, communication, health and safety, manual handling, child protection and first aid. Sitters and families will be carefully matched and volunteers are supported throughout introduction process and beyond. If you would like to make a difference then please contact Jess Elliott 01243 642318 or

Doreen Bradbury 01243 642462.

By Henry Smith, Lead of West Sussex Council

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