Early Years services

Being a parent is one of the most important jobs most of us – fathers, as well as mothers - ever do, and it isn't always easy. Most families go through ups and downs and it's normal to need support at times – whether it's social contact with other parents, information about bringing up children or more focused help to tackle particular difficulties in the family.

There is a wide range of activities and services that are designed to make family life easier and more enjoyable for parents of young children – and to provide children with opportunities that will help their learning and development. More details are provided in the section about more help and information.

Local children's centres offer support, activities and information to meet your own and your child's needs, all in one place. They're somewhere your child can make friends and learn as they play – and you can get advice and information or simply just socialise with other people.

Children's centres aim to meet the needs of the local community, so no one children's centre is the same as another. However, there is a core set of services they must provide.

Services provided by all children's centres
  • Child and family health services, ranging from health visitors to breastfeeding support.
  • High quality childcare and early learning (some small centres may not provide this directly, but will be able to let you know about where it is available locally).
  • Information and advice on parenting, local childcare options and access to specialist services for families like speech therapy, healthy eating advice or help with managing money.
  • Help for you to find work or training opportunities, using links to local Jobcentre Plus offices and training providers.

 

Many large children's centres will also provide:

  • family fun activities, such as baby massage, trips, picnics, 'stay and play' sessions, sports and storytelling
  • support for you as a parent, either through group sessions with other parents or individual home visits
  • assessments for specialist help for you or your child if this is needed
  • information sessions on starting school
  • learning opportunities for you – for instance to improve your computer skills or English if English isn't your first language.

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Last updated: 3rd December 2009 at 04:12:31