
"I think that makes it difficult for centre leaders because there is sometimes an implication that centres are not achieving anything. That is not the case."
Since Webster first began leading a Sure Start centre in Coventry eight years ago, the government's children's centre programme has been open to criticism. It is often accused of failing to meet its original purpose of engaging with and supporting the most deprived families. And in the current economic climate, no party can commit to the funding levels the programme has been afforded for the past decade.
"You go into centres and meet families whose lives have been transformed, but it is quite small scale," says Webster. "However, children's centres are quite new and you have to start somewhere and build up."
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