Ministers want staff to visit new mothers in their homes to ask themwhat facilities they would like to see at the centres and to ask them todrop in. They are also calling on children's centres to monitor thesocial class and ethnic origin of all visitors.
The requirements are part of the drive to ensure that the mostdisadvantaged families are accessing the programme. They will becontained in new guidance to be issued to local authorities and passedon to children's centres in November.
Children's minister Beverley Hughes provided details of the forthcomingguidance last week.
She said: "From next month Sure Start children's centres will visitevery parent of a newborn baby in their area and begin to evaluate theservices the centres are providing to make sure they are accessible andresponsive to the needs of the most disadvantaged in the community."
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