Children's minister Beverley Hughes announced details of the 10m0-7 Partnerships scheme at the annual conference of the NationalAssociation of Headteachers last week.
She said there will be around ten pilots for the scheme, which will tryout a variety of approaches, including holding meetings between parents,childminders and early years and primary school teachers; giving parentsa single point of contact for childcare; and appointing advisors who caninform parents of the different childcare options in their area.
Ms Hughes also unveiled further details of the 16m FamilyPathfinder projects (News, 17 January), which offer intensive support tothe most vulnerable families in 15 areas, with each area receivingaround 780,000. The projects involve adult and children's socialservices working together to help families at risk. The scheme aims toimprove parenting skills and help parents out of poverty by ensuringthey are claiming the correct benefits and helping them find work. Sixpathfinders receive an extra 3m funding to help families withyoung carers.
Ms Hughes said, 'If we can build children's services that work aroundthe needs of the child, this will help schools fulfil their mission todevelop the potential of every one of their pupils.'
Steve Alexander, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance,said, 'We warmly welcome this much-needed investment, which has realtransforming potential. The Alliance understands how important it isthat local authority departments work cohesively to support theircomplex needs, and Pathfinders have proved successful in generalisingsupport across England.'