I will be doing my placement at a Children’s Centre in south London, i have never worked in a children’s centre before and feel really excited to see what is done in a children’s centre, it will be interesting to see how the practitioners work with children and parents also (www.surestart.nhs.uk).
A children’s centre is a place or a group of places where families can go with their young child or children to receive support. There are also facilities that the specially designed for parents that are expecting a baby, and for those with children at the age of under 5yrs old (www.surestart.nhs.uk).
Each children’s centre has its own weekly programme of activities and services which come under these headings:
- health and nutrition
- day care and childminding support
- learning and sensory disability
- parent and toddler open sessions and drop-ins
- training and back to work
- volunteering and parent involvement
- play
The programme of activities and facilities are available at each children’s centre and vary depending on the area each centre is located and the needs of that area (www.surestart.nhs.uk).