Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to increase the role of children’s centres in supporting expectant parents and improving integrated working among antenatal support services.

Mr Sam Gyimah

All children’s centres must provide access to health services – either by providing the services or by providing advice and assistance on gaining access to services. Local authorities and local health commissioners have statutory duties to consider providing services through children’s centres to ensure that families get access to the services they need. The transfer of responsibility for public health services to local authorities in October this year provides new opportunities for local areas to configure health services to best effect.

The Department of Health has been working with local authorities in order to ensure sharing regular and timely updates of live birth data between NHS trusts and children’s centres and have mapped out a process for putting in place appropriate arrangements to support a national solution.

Children’s centres can also have a key role in delivering integrated reviews, which check a child’s health and educational progress at age two.

Future policy on the role of children’s centres in supporting expectant parents and improving integrated working among antenatal support services will be informed by the planned consultation on the future of children’s centre services, which is due to be launched shortly. The consultation will offer parents, prospective parents, carers, local authorities and key stakeholders the opportunity to influence and drive what we expect from children’s centre services and where we see them having the greatest impact.