Latest News May 2008

 

 

The next round of children’s centres is in the planning stage and the City Council would like to hear from people living in the identified areas of the city where the new children’s centres could be located.  Children’s Centres are a new way of supporting families with children under the age of five. They offer a wide range of services to make sure that families can get the help they need. Child and family health services, training opportunities and Jobcentre Plus, family and parenting support are all on offer as well as early years education.

 

There are already 31 children’s centres in Sheffield, which offer services to over 25,000 children aged 0 to 4.

 

"We’re very keen to hear from everyone in each community, whether or not they have children," says Paul Makin, Acting Executive Director Children & Young People’s Services. "We know that all residents have opinions, and rightly so, about developments that affect their community, and we want to hear from as many people as possible during this consultation.

 

"The success of children’s centres in Sheffield has been outstanding and we know that there are lots of families who want a children’s centre near to their home. The challenge is to make sure we provide high quality services and identify the best possible location to meet the needs of families and the local community, whether that’s on the site of the community school or another location."

 

In each community, consultation meetings will be held and there will also be drop-in sessions for those who can’t attend the meetings but want to call in and pick up information. Visit the Children's Centres - an overview pages for more details  or ring 0114 205 3407 to book a place at the consultation meetings.

 

 

Sonia Sharp, Strategic Director for Children and Young People's Services at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for the last three years is to be the new Executive Director for Children and Young People's Services. She will have responsibility for services supporting schools, as well as children's social care services and support services for vulnerable children. 

 

I'm very excited about the opportunities that Sheffield City Council are taking up on behalf of the children and families in the city, and looking forward to being a part of making big things happen" says Ms Sharp.

 

"Sheffield is in an unprecedented time of development, which is affecting all its communities. The Building Schools for the Future programme, which is bringing every secondary school site to a high standard, will make sure that young people have the best possible learning environments, for example.

 

"I’ve really enjoyed my time at Rotherham and I feel we have achieved a huge amount to ensure the borough’s children and young people achieve their potential and get the best possible start in life.

"I’m determined to get to grips with the big challenges in Sheffield, particular around pupil attainment and the safeguarding of children. I know there are great people working in Sheffield City Council and in partner agencies, and I relish the chance to work with them."

 

Having trained as an educational psychologist, Sonia worked in Barnsley, Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire before becoming Assistant Director for Access & Inclusion in Birmingham. She then moved on to become Deputy Chief Executive of Education Leeds before taking up the Strategic Director role in Rotherham.

 

She will replace Jonathan Crossley-Holland, who recently left Sheffield City Council after eleven years working first as Executive Director for Education and then Executive Director for Children & Young People’s Services.

 

"Sonia is exactly the person we are looking for to take Sheffield’s services for children, young people and families on to the next level," said Cllr Jan Wilson, who chaired the cross-party panel who interviewed candidates and made the appointment.

 

"She has some excellent experience working in big cities, and understands the challenges we face here. We were all very impressed by her ideas and look forward to working with her."

 

 

 

The National Year of Reading will be launched on 31 March. It is a celebration of reading in all its forms. It aims to help build a greater national passion for reading in England for children, families and adult learners alike.  In Sheffield a launch event in April will unveil a comprehensive programme of activities across the City. Our picture above shows two year old Joseph Bramall with his dad Leigh Bramall, who is the City Council's Cabinet Adviser for Youth Service, enjoying reading a book together. Time spent reading with young children has been shown to have a direct impact on their social skills, language development and ability to learn. Use the National Year of Reading website to find out more information.