The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has criticised the Sure Start children's centres programme for the relatively poor design of Phase 2 children's centres, in comparison to some of the highly commended Phase 1 children's centres. The hasty two-year turnaround time to build Phase 2 centres restricted the amount of time that could be given to consultation, which may have impacted on the design.
As a newly appointed Phase 2 children's centre manager, I could readily identify with this critique. There were particular aspects of the design of our centre that I felt could prove to be challenging. Part of this may have been due to lack of consultation with the 'right' people - those who have worked in, and attended children's centres previously, as well as members of the local community.
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