The Sure Start Project
Sure Start is a Government initiative, which aims to improve the health and well being of families and children before and from birth so that children flourish at home and when they go to school. Sure Start projects are based in neighbourhoods where a high proportion of children are living in poverty. The Monmouthshire project covers the Community First Area in Abergavenny, the Bulwark Area of Chepstow and the West End and Dewstow Wards in Caldicot.
Sure Start has 4 main objectives;
-To improve the health of pre school children
-To improve children’s ability to learn
-To strengthen families and communities.
-To improve the social and emotional development of pre-school children
The project endeavours to meet its objectives by various means. We offer a home visiting service by qualified and experienced Nursery Nurses who offer advice on parenting; support mothers who are breast-feeding or who have postnatal depression. We offer children access to quality play by providing crèche facilities, play bus, toy library and assisted playgroup places.
We offer opportunities for parents and children to learn and play together thus strengthening attachment by the provision of parent and toddler groups, stay and play sessions and drop in’s.
Sure Start is able to offer short-term packages of care for families in crisis, or small group play sessions to prepare children for playgroup.
Our home safety scheme loans parents safety equipment to enable them to ‘toddler proof’ their home and thus cut the numbers of children from the Sure Start Area presenting at Accident and Emergency Departments.
The project endeavours to promote learning amongst our parents by providing In the Community First Area home-based tuition in basic skills, personal study programs and small group learning sessions. Every aspect of our service is regularly monitored and evaluated by our own project worker who is responsible for sending a yearly reports to the Welsh Assembly Government.
If you would like further information please contact us at
The Acorn Integrated Centre,
Deri View Primary School,
Abergavenny
Tel: 01873 735020