Partnerships
Gingerbread Corner, as a Children’s Centre and Extended Schools Plus, works in partnership with a number of local agencies.
Sue Moses represents Gingerbread Corner on:
• The Selhurst Extended Schools Cluster (which includes Broadmead and St Mary’s Primary Schools, the Brit School and Selhurst Children’s Centre). According to Beverley Hughes MP (Minister for Children, Young People and Families), Extended Schools are “at the heart of the delivery of Every Child Matters, improving outcomes and raising standards of achievement for children and young people”.
• The Strengthening Communities Partnership, chaired by Councillor Gavin Barwell, which aims to develop voluntary organisations to improve their capacity to provide services, and to involve people of all ages in community activities and in improving the performance of public services.
• The Children’s Centre West Cluster (which comprises Duppas, Selhurst, Peppermint and Broad Green Sure Start).
Leanne Jones is a member of the Croydon Children’s Centres’ Leaders Group, which provides excellent opportunities for networking and for working together to improve practice and gain resources.
Jacqui Jones represents Gingerbread Corner on the Children and Young People’s Network, and Karen Meyler represents us on the Nursery Proprietors’ and Managers’ Network, which provides the opportunity to discuss new activities or available resources, share good practice and to consider likely impact of any new legislation or OFSTED regulations etc.
Children’s Centres are required to work in close partnership with the Jobcentre Plus, and in Croydon this is working really well. We host Employment Surgeries, support “hard to reach” clients and publicise any returning to work initiatives, etc.
Community Business Works, funded by Croydon Business Enterprise, has provided Gingerbread Corner with funds to run free Parenting Programmes, Self-Esteem and other workshops, qualified Life Coaching and Human Givens Therapy. A free crèche is provided during our training programmes.
Gingerbread Corner works closely with ParentlinePlus (which provides support to parents and to professionals working with parents) and Croydon Homestart (which offers informal, confidential and friendly support to parents who have at least one child under 5 through volunteers, who are usually parents themselves).
We are members of several national organisations, including Children Are Unbeatable Campaign, 4-Children, the Pre-School Learning Alliance, National Day Nursery Association and Fair Play for Children.
The Gingerbread Corner Advisory Group is currently being set up. This Group will advise us on local needs, as well as supporting the services we offer. We have invited a number of agencies and individuals to join us, and will be able to post the full membership list shortly.
