The children's minister wrote to centre managers last week to informthem that she had radically revised the guidance on good practice.
She said: "There is still much more to be done, particularly to ensurethe most vulnerable and disadvantaged families are getting the help theyneed."
The revised Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance statesmanagers must do more to get marginalised families using their services.There should be a "greater emphasis on outreach and home visiting as abasis for enabling greater access for families unlikely to visit acentre".
Centre managers should also track which families are using services and"monitor trends in service usage by different groups".
The new emphasis on outreach comes nearly a year after a nationalevaluation of Sure Start appeared to confirm the scheme is not yetreaching some of the most disadvantaged families (Children Now, 7December 2005-3 January 2006).
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