This book tells the story of Sure Start, one of the flagship programmes of the last government. It tells how Sure Start was set up, the numerous changes it went through, and how it has changed the landscape of services for all young children in England. Offering insight into the key debates on services for young children, as well as how decisions are made in a highly political context, it will be of keen interest to policy academics, senior managers of public services and all those with a keen interest in developing services for young children.

Autorentext

Naomi Eisenstadt is a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford. She is a retired civil servant who ran the Sure Start Unit for its first seven years. She has extensive experience, both working directly with children and families and at the most senior levels in Government. Her last post before retirement was Director of the Social Exclusion Task Force in the Cabinet Office.

Inhalt

Introduction; Setting the scene for change; A star is born, the birth of Sure Start; What happened next; Stroppy adolescence and then marriage; Sure Start grows up: mainstreaming or death; What have we learned, what have we achieved?