During the 2015 – 16 Parliamentary session, the APPG for Children’s Centres decided to undergo a formal inquiry titled ‘Children’s Centres: Fit for the Families of the Future’ with a particular focus on Children’s Centres’ potential development into ‘Hubs’ for local services.
This inquiry coincides with the Department for Education’s review into the future direction of Children’s Centres.
The inquiry is an opportunity for the APPG to engage with the consultation process set out by the Government and investigate the benefits of a Hub model and make key recommendations to the Department for Education on the future of these important local community services.
The inquiry has taken four distinct themes, which include:
- Health and development
- Employment support and childcare
- Relationship support
- Supporting families with complex needs
The APPG has now launched its call for evidence based on the APPG inquiry’s terms of reference which can be found here.
Submissions to the APPG’s consultation should be restricted to no more than 2,000 words.
Completed submissions should be emailed to [email protected] by 5.00pm on Friday 18th December.
As Vice-Chair of the Children’s Centres APPG on the launch of the call for evidence, Sharon said:
“Many families in Washington and Sunderland West, just like across the country, rely on the vital services that Sure Start Children’s Centres provide and as a key part of the last Labour Government’s legacy it is important that evidence of best practice is highlighted wherever and whenever possible to protect these services into the future.
“I hope that many Centres, professionals and users of these services will submit evidence to the APPG Children’s Centres’ inquiry so that when it comes to presenting this work to the Department for Education they will receive a fuller picture of how much families rely upon these crucial local community services.”
Please Note: The Department for Education has announced that it will be consulting on the future direction of Children’s Centres before the end of the year. Please be aware that this call for evidence does not form part of the Department’s formal consultation process, although the Group does intend to submit the overall findings of its inquiry to the consultation.
**UPDATE 14.12.15: Please note that the APPG's call for evidence deadline has now been extended to 12noon on Monday 11th January. This is to allow as many people to contribute as possible.