Family Policy
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) wants to encourage very young children and their families to take part in cultural, social and sporting activities.
Sure Start
The Sure Start programme 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.
It does this through setting up local Sure Start programmes to improve services for families with children under four, in the most deprived areas of the country.
Sure Start is made up of people from a joint working unit, operating across different government departments.
DCMS has three main areas of involvement in the Sure Start programme:
- Improving access to children's play opportunities
- Library related initiatives, such as the Booktrust Bookstart scheme to promote the sharing of books with very young children
- The Built Environment aspect of the programme; working to ensure that integrated family centres and play facilities are not only fit for their purpose, but built to a high-quality design
The wide range of other interests within DCMS's remit - the sports, arts and culture - can also contribute to the objectives of the Sure Start Initiative in their promotion of worthwhile and enjoyable experiences for children during their early years.
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