Chapter 24

Cross-Departmental Review of Sure Start and services for under fives

Scope

The cross-departmental review of Sure Start and services for under fives considered the Sure Start programme in the light of developments since its launch - in particular, the experience of the first local programmes. The review considered options for expanding Sure Start and for improving other services for children under five.

Background

24.1 One third of all UK children are born in poverty, the largest proportion in Europe. The Government's target is to halve the number of poor children by 2010 and to eliminate child poverty by 2020. The tax and benefit measures being introduced by the Government will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty. However, evidence shows that children and families who have lived in poverty need opportunities for development as well as improved income. The biggest gains are in interventions for young children, particularly in terms of health, educational and social development, and in the support of families and communities.

24.2 In the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government established the Sure Start programme, to work in the community with very young children and their families. The programme improves the life chances of children by improving their health and social development and ensuring that they are ready to learn when they get to school, so breaking the cycle of disadvantage. Sure Start programmes operate at neighbourhood level, and are based upon strong evidence - from the UK and elsewhere - of what works. There will be 250 local programmes up and running by 2001-02, supporting about 187,000 children, or 18 per cent of all poor children under four.

Outcomes

24.3 The review concluded that the Government's new focus on ending child poverty strengthened the case for the expansion of services for under fives and, in particular, strengthened the case for expansion of services that are both child and poverty focused.

Geographical expansion

24.4 The 2000 Spending Review includes provision for a major geographical expansion of Sure Start - doubling the number of programmes from 250 to at least 500 by 2004 and more than doubling planned expenditure to almost £500 million by 2003-04. The expanded Sure Start programme will reach one third of poor children under four years old. In order to target pockets of deprivation, for example in rural areas, some of these new programmes will be geographically small. In return for this investment, each programme will deliver quantified improvements in local children's social and emotional development, health and ability to learn, as well as a strengthening of families and communities.

24.5 The new programmes will continue the Sure Start approach of targeting programmes in deprived areas to reach poor children; focusing on young children, because evidence shows that the biggest gains are here; and community ownership, so that communities themselves decide their priorities. Key PSA targets to be delivered over the next three years are set out in Box 24.1.

Box 24.1: Key PSA targets - Sure Start

Reduce the proportion of children aged 0-3 in the 500 Sure Start areas who are re-registered within the space of 12 months on the child protection register by 20 per cent by 2004.
Achieve by 2004 in the 500 Sure Start areas, a 10 per cent reduction in mothers who smoke in pregnancy.
Achieve by 2004, for children aged 0-3 in the 500 Sure Start areas, a reduction of five percentage points in the number of children with speech and language problems requiring specialist intervention by the age of four.
Reduce the number of 0-3 year old children in Sure Start areas living in households where no-one is working by 2004.

New approaches

24.6 In addition, the review recommended a new approach to bring help to first time mothers, often the most at risk of poor health for themselves and their child, and better training and support for Sure Start programme staff.

24.7 The review also considered services for under fives outside Sure Start areas. For the longer term, building on the lessons from Sure Start programmes, the Government is committed to developing targets and measures for services for children aged 0-5 across the range of mainstream Government services.

24.8 The Government has also decided to rationalise services for young children by merging Early Excellence Centres with Sure Start. The high standards achieved by both services will be maintained and shared within the Sure Start programme.

Spending plans

24.9 As Table 24.1 details, funds for Sure Start will increase from £184 million in 2000-01 to £499 million by 2003-04 - an average growth in real terms of over 36 per cent a year.

Table 24.1: Key figures

£ million
*Includes £100 million carried over from previous years through End Year Flexibility
	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Sure Start	184	284*	449	499