Features

Pen Green children's centre - Standing the test of time

Since 1983 Pen Green has evolved as an outstanding example of all a children's centre should be. Margy Whalley and Barbara Riddell outline its achievements and make the case for continued support for children's centres

Children's centres matter. They matter to all the children and families who use them, the staff who work in them and the local authorities who are accountable for them. What makes them so distinctive is the collaboration and co-operation of different professional groups, and how they bring together services in new and radical ways. Instead of defining families as hard to reach, children's centres have recognised that it is sometimes their own services that are hard to access. Children's centres need to be accessible to all but they have a particular responsibility to ensure they are accessed by the most vulnerable and disenfranchised. Staff have to work in a different way and co-construct services with families.

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