The Children's Society is the lead agency appointed by Somerset County Council to develop the Children's Centre for Wiveliscombe and the surrounding communities. The new building opened in May 2008 and is on the south side of Croft Way. It provides a central hub for services for children and families, as well as an OFSTED inspected as Good 45 place Nursery called The Paddocks which is open from 8am - 6 pm Monday - Friday.
The Children's Society was involved with the Children's Centre Steering Group that planned the new building and this group will stay involved with its ongoing development. We have found out what services are currently available to children and families in the Wiveliscombe area and spoken to professionals and parents/carers to find out what they feel a Children's Centre should offer. We then see where this fits into the Core Offer we are expected to deliver. We plan to continue this development work as we deliver services and find ways of seeking the views of children as well as their parents / carers.
Rainbows Pre School ( which moved into the Nursery in May 2008 ) led the way in raising funds to ensure the Children's Centre was equipped to the highest possible standard. They worked incredibly hard and were extremely successful, raising a significant amount of money for which we are very grateful.
The ' Family Support Group', now called Wivey Stay and Play is the first service that The Children's Society delivered in Wiveliscombe. We took over this work in February 2007. It provides a drop in facility for parents / carers and children under 5 between 9-00 and 10-30 and 11-00 and 12-30 on Wednesday mornings at the Wiveliscombe Community Centre. It is well used and highly thought of in the area. Many other groups have followed - please look for our comprehensive Programme of Activities, updated each term, elsewhere on this website. We are setting up a Parents Forum that will help to plan future groups - if you are interested in participating in this please contact the Centre.
Related Links
- http://www.playyourpart.co.uk
- http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk
- http://www.surestart.gov.uk
- http://www.somersetearlyyears.co.uk
Steph Curry, February 2009
