Sure Start funding to be unified

The numerous Sure Start funding streams are being merged into one
for child care to give councils more flexibility education
secretary Charles Clarke announced.

He said developing education for under-fives should be a
priority.

He also announced that four small grants covering fostering,
adoption support, teenage pregnancy and unaccompanied asylum
seeking children services would be amalgamated into a single
children’s services grant from 2006.

He said this would give councils “the maximum discretion to target
services at local need within clear national expectations”.

Clarke added that councils would increasingly commission and work
with other agencies rather than provide services directly.