Outreach work is not only for specialists
Cathy Wallace
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The government's bid to increase outreach work in children's centres should not rely completely on dedicated workers, experts have warned.
The Children's Plan promised to support training for outreach workers, as well as a share of a £4bn pot to pay for two outreach workers in children's centres in disadvantaged areas.
But James Hempsall, director of childcare training provider and consultancy Hempsall Consultancies, said lessons should be learned from existing outreach work in Sure Start.
"Children's centres should not rely exclusively on dedicated workers for outreach work," he said. "There should be a plan that workers lead on, including allocated responsibilities for all agencies. Centres should recruit outreach champions in the form of active community members and trusted organisations."
Liz Railton, director of Sure Start delivery partner Together For Children, said it was vital to share good practice as centres develop outreach services.
"There are several challenges here, including who the outreach workers will be," she said. "We also need to look at how to best organise children's centres in terms of supporting staff. Clearly they are going to be working with very disadvantaged people so the whole basis of support will be important."
Railton said Together For Children would be looking to establish some guidance around outreach work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
"The DCSF will be working around the training and development that will be put in," she said. "I'm sure they will ask where guidance is needed and we will keep an eye on that."
Hempsall said centres also need a good communications strategy. "This should include networks of users to maximise word of mouth," he said. "When potential users experience endorsement by peers, they are more likely to participate."
Funding for outreach workers in children's centres has not been ringfenced, but Railton said she was confident local authorities would spend the money developing outreach services. "Most people think there's a good evidence base on the need for outreach and local authorities have a duty to improve outcomes," she said.
