Tyssen Children's Centre in Stamford Hill, Hackney, developed from a specialised Sure Start programme in an area where 75 per cent of the population were Orthodox Jewish, 15 per cent were Muslim and 10 per cent came from other backgrounds. The widened catchment area of the children's centre will reach 1,000 children.
Diane Heywood, manager of the children's centre, said, 'The Sure Start programme has managed to build strong relationships with the two religious communities and the challenge is for the children's centre to have a more focused and targeted approach, making sure that we reach the most vulnerable children.
'In the case of the Muslim and Orthodox Jewish communities this will largely be done through specialised services and outreach work in their respective community centres. As the majority of children go to faith-based childcare, making other services accessible is crucial.'
Ismail Anaan, services manager at the North London Muslim Community Centre, is also a member of the Tyssen children's centre committee. He said, 'We run groups such as mother and toddler, respite care, and a whole range of health services. A lot of our professionals, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists, come from the children's centre. Tyseen is our parent centre and we're a satellite. It is also an extension of our services and there is a really good sense of partnership.'
'A lot of people are frightened about ghettoisation and segregation with minority communities, whereas if you have an open relationship people are not isolated. In the past five years we have got to know the various facets of the Orthodox Jewish community to mutual benefit, and Sure Start is a big part of that.'
Melanie Danan chairs the children's centre committee and is a member of the Interlink Foundation, which supports small community organisations within the Orthodox Jewish community. She said, 'We make sure that everyone is included. Some services are delivered universally and some are delivered in a culturally-aware way within the centre or without. We organise a lot of outreach work in Orthodox Jewish nurseries.'