Sure Start Wales

In April 2003, following a review of the existing funding programmes and a consultative process Sure Start in Wales was amalgamated with the Children and Youth Partnership Fund and the Childcare Strategy to form a new unified fund Cymorth – the Children and Youth Support Fund.

Cymorth is administered through local Children and Young People’s Partnerships within each Local Authority. It aims to provide a network of targeted support for children and young people within a framework of universal provision, in order to improve the life chances of children and young people from disadvantaged families. To see more information on Sure Start, visit their website.

"Cymorth in Practice" was a Conference held in September 2004 to facilitate networking and the sharing of best practice amongst those engaged with the Framework Partnerships across Wales, voluntary organisations in receipt of Cymorth funding and others with an interest in the area.
Workshop themes included best practice examples from a diverse range of Cymorth funded projects throughout Wales, with some contributions by service users. Topics included :Play, Disability, Parenting, Services in Rural Areas, Drug and Alcohol Issues, Youth Offending, Peer Education, Fathers, Black & Minority Ethnic Groups, Sure Start, Supporting Teenagers, Monitoring and Evaluation. The Conference report is now available.

Sure Start Plus National Evaluation: Final Report, May 2005 - The evaluation aimed to find out what could be learnt from Sure Start Plus programmes that could be disseminated to other programmes and relevant partner services.

Sure Start Network

Children in Wales supports a Sure Start Network within Wales and has facilitated regular meetings of Sure Start coordinators, held in mid Wales. Matters discussed include the development of Integrated Children’s Centres, Cymorth funding and the Basic Skills Agency. Future meetings will look at the development of a Sure Start Journal to highlight good practice; a questionnaire to map Sure Start developments across Wales; a focus on work with fathers within Sure Start programmes.  Click here for the minutes of the December 2006 meeting of the network.

If you would like to submit an article for the journal please forward a copy to Lynne Hill,  Policy Director, Children in Wales.

Copies of the questionnaire can be requested from Children in Wales.