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Sure Start Services in Carmarthenshire 
Background The Sure Start programme introduced in 1999, gave the opportunity for early years, preventative family support services to be developed locally across Carmarthenshire to address the needs identified in the Carmarthenshire Family Support Strategy. Services developed under the Sure Start programme support parents/carers and children to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of pre-school children in order to ensure that they are ready to thrive when they get to school. In 2003, the Cymorth fund (administered to all 22 Local Authorities across Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government) integrated the previous funding streams of Sure Start, Family Support and Youth Services in to a wider agenda for 0-25’s. This enabled a number of Sure Start services to extend their support to families with children up to the age of 10. Local Context The Carmarthenshire Sure Start programme comprises of 13 projects delivered in partnership by a variety of partners from the statutory and voluntary sectors. There are 3 main strands to the Sure Start Programme in Carmarthenshire:
1. Parenting Support Providing a range of parenting support services delivered in their own homes that meet the varying needs of parents/carers across Carmarthenshire.
2. Family Centre Support A network of 12 Family Centres have been developed across Carmarthenshire in partnership with Plant Dewi that offer open acess support and advice to families in a caring environment. The family centres are located in Tumble, Trimsaran, South Cefn Caeau, Betws, Garnant, Carmarthen (2), Llanybydder, Pencader, St Paul’s, Morfa and Felinfoel. Other areas will have access to a mobile family centre in the form of a double-decker bus which visits selected locations for a 9 month period. For further information on the mobile family bus please contact the Family and Community Team on 01554 745150. In addition to this Plant Dewi run 9 family together groups which are held weekly, offering support to families in their own community. The Family together groups are located in; Brynamman, Llandybie, Kidwelly, Laugharne, Saron, Seaside, Llandeilo and Llanybydder. For further information on family together groups please contact Plant Dewi on 01267 221551. 3. Special Need Support Providing special need services including support delivered by ‘Helping Hands’ co-ordinated by the Carmarthenshire Referral Scheme, and speech and language therapy support.
For additional information about Sure Start services developed under the Sure Start programme in Carmarthenshire please contact: Janine Patrick Sure Start Development Officer Childrens’ Partnership Building 2 St David’s Park Jobs Well Road Carmarthen SA31 3HB Tel: 01267 246559 jpatrick@carmarthenshire.gov.uk |
