Supporting Children and Families gathers together the lessons learned from perhaps the largest scale social experiment ever undertaken in England - Sure Start, the programme designed to improve the emotional development, health and education of children.It boils down the huge amount of knowledge and experience generated by the Sure Start programmes and local evaluation studies, with chapters encompassing child development and healthcare, partnership working with existing local services, parental employment and supporting families with young children, reaching out to marginalised groups and strengthening communities. In addition to summarizing the findings of numerous innovative projects, contributors draw on their experiences of the successes and challenges to offer advice for those engaged in current and future practice. Each chapter concludes with `three lessons for Children's Centres'.With its strong focus on practice implications, this book is indispensable reading for practitioners working in health, social and educational services for children and families, as well as students or researchers, and policymakers in these fields.

1. Introduction: Sure Start in Context. Justine Schneider, Mark Avis and Paul Leighton, University of Nottingham. Part 1: Health and Child Development. 2. Introduction to Health and Child Development. Mark Avis, University of Nottingham. 3. Evaluation of a Pampering Group. Catherine Perry, University of Chester. 4. Increasing Breastfeeding Rates: Issues and Approaches. Carol Potter, Leeds Metropolitan University. 5. Evaluating the Impact of a Child Injury Prevention Project. Julie Carman, East Lancashire Primary Care Trust; David Lamb, East Lancashire Public Health Resource and Intelligence Centre; Ellis Friedman, East Lancashire Primary Care Trust; and Kate Hardman, East Lancashire Public Health Resource and Intelligence Centre. 6. Training for Language-enriched Preschool Settings. Carol Potter, Leeds Metropolitan University and Sharon Hodgson, County Durham Primary Care Trust. 7. A Perinatal Mental Health Project. Pauline Hall and Marjorie Finnigan, Sure Start Salford. Part 2: Partnership Working. 8. Introduction to Partnership Working. Paul Leighton, University of Nottingham. 9. Parental Involvement: Engagement with the Development of Services. Valerie Wigfall, Janet Boddy and Susan McQuail, University of London. 10. Partnership between Parents and Professionals. Pamela Graham, Northumbria University. 11. Local Programmes and Social Services: Lessons in Partnership. Michaela Griffin, Durham University, and John Carpenter, University of Bristol. 12. Perceptions of Statutory Service Providers of Local Programmes. Alison Edgley, University of Nottingham. Part 3: Paths to Education and Employment. 13. Introduction to Paths to Education and Employment. Justine Schneider, University of Nottingham. 14. Early Education and Children's Outcomes: How Long Do the Impacts Last? Alissa Goodman and Barbara Sianesi, The Education, Employment and Evaluation Research Sector .15. Lifelong Learning and Parental Employability. Mairi-Ann Cullen and Geoff Lindsay, University of Warwick. 16. Working with Parents as Colleagues. Matthew Pearson and Ann Martin, Impact Research Solutions. Part 4: Supporting Families. 17. Introduction to Supporting Families. Mark Avis, University of Nottingham. 18. Understanding Family Support. Miranda Thurston, University of Chester. 19. Providing Respite for Parents. Brian Crosbie and Mark Avis, University of Nottingham. 20. What Difference Does Outreach Make to Family Support? Brid Featherstone, University of Bradford; Martin Manby, Nationwide Children's Research Centre; and Nicky Nicholls, Sure Start Bramley. 21. Engaging with Men. Lynne McKenna, Northumbria University. 22. Issues in Evaluating Family Support Services. Anne Barton, M.E.L Research; Jill Jesson, University of Aston; and Matthew Horton, Early Years and Childcare Service, Stoke-on-Trent. Part 5: Community Development. 23. Introduction to Community Development. Paul Leighton, University of Nottingham. 24. Experiences of Parental Involvement in a Multi-ethnic Setting. Tricia Hamm, researcher and PhD student. 25. Inclusion and Diversity: Issues for Travellers. Graham Bowpitt, Nottingham Trent University, and Sarah Chaudhary, University of Nottingham. 26. Changing Conceptions of Community. Max Hope, University of Chester, and Paul Leighton, University of Nottingham. Conclusion: Lessons from Sure Start Local Programmes. Justine Schneider, Mark Avis and Paul Leighton, University of Nottingham. Contributors. Subject Index. Author Index.