Cash boost for development of children's services

A charity has received a £60,000 government grant to help fund the future of children's services in Guernsey.

Bright Beginnings, based in St Sampson's, runs a children's centre for families and a nursery, preschool and literacy programme for children up to age four.

The States said the cash injection would ensure the charity's "financial sustainability".

Deputy Marc Leadbeater, Vice-President of the Committee Health & Social Care (HSC) said the grant would "support the charity in the crucial work that they do."

The funding also marked the start of a new partnership between HSC and the third sector to help develop future children's services on the island, officials said.

Bright Beginnings works to support families with free antenatal classes, support groups and therapeutic work.

Staff also receive referrals from other providers, including health visitors, midwives, doctors and social workers.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, political lead for Guernsey's charity sector, said the charity was well placed to help the States develop future children's services.

She said: "We now have an opportunity to consider what we want services to look like going forward so that they can best support our children and families.

"This is a discussion we need to have with organisations like Bright Beginnings, on a co-design basis, given their expertise and passion for the work they do."

The next stage would then be to look and whether "there's an opportunity to commission some of these services to meet the needs of our community in the most efficient and impactful way", she said.

Welcoming the funding, Bright Beginnings' chair of board of directors Rachel Copeland said staff were "looking forward to working in partnership with the States of Guernsey to explore the further development of services".

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