Children's centres

The IIC investment totals £500,000 with an overall investment in the identified centres of around £4 million. The IIC funding will provide three of the centres with extensions to house training and community rooms to promote learning and to encourage parents back into training or work. The other two centres will gain additional equipment to enable existing community rooms to be made better use of. The centres that were chosen for the IIC funding were selected as they were located in areas where it was felt that there was need for additional community learning facilities. The funding will enable the chosen centres to offer a wider range of services and activities to people living in the local area - not just parents but others who may wish to take up the offer of help with getting back into training or work. It is hoped that this approach - which fits well with the University for Suffolk programme of developing local access points - will encourage people into training or employment who would otherwise not feel confident about, or who are unclear, how to access such services.

Strategic Development facilitates the IIC programme on behalf of Suffolk Development Agency.