The report, Sure Start Children's Centres, was submitted as written evidence to the Children, Schools and Families select committee, as part of its enquiry into the effectiveness of the children's centre programme.
The report showed that despite the government spending an extra £79m a year on outreach, intended to bring services to the hard-to-reach, since the NAO's last report in 2006, there is still a "low level" of activity. According to the survey, based on 300 centres' costs, centres servicing the 30 per cent most deprived communities report an average of only 38 staff hours spent on parental outreach each week.
Children's minister Dawn Primarolo defended the centres, claiming that more than half are based in disadvantaged areas and therefore serve families most in need.
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