You and Your Community
Local information about Bedfordshire | Children and Families

Local

• Bedfordshire County Council publishes a number of reports which deal with issues relating to children and families. You can find full text copies and summaries of these reports including the 'Children and Young People's Plan' and the Children's Workforce Strategy' on the County Council's website.
• Bookstart is the  national "Books for babies" programme which is all about giving  babies and children a love of books.  Bookstart gives free books to every child at around eight months, eighteen months and three years (direct link)
• Sure Start is a government initiative to support parents to be and parents with children under four who live in the most disadvantaged areas. There are a number of Sure Start Children's Centres in Bedfordshire.

National

• Every Child Matters: Change for Children: the government Green Paper which is concerned with the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. It has five main aims for children and young people: Stay Safe, Be Healthy, Enjoy and Achieve, Achieve Economic Well-being, and Make a Positive Contribution (direct link)
• Every Parent Matters is a document from the DfES (Department for Education and Skills) recognizing the importance of parental influence and listing recommendations to help children learn enjoy and achieve. (direct link)