Nursery World - A base that reaches into the heart of the community

The ACE Centre is the base for professionals from many different services who are working together. Their common agenda is to find out what people need and then provide it. It is a kind of working which is still exploratory, and is sometimes challenging. 'We are all committed and caring professionals at the centre,' says Clempson, 'but you never get to the point where you've "cracked it". This work isn't just about words on bits of paper. We have found that when people are working together for the first time, their own needs have to be met even as we are working to meet the needs of the people we serve.'

'We are all committed and caring professionals at the centre,' says Clempson, 'but you never get to the point where you've "cracked it". This work isn't just about words on bits of paper. We have found that when people are working together for the first time, their own needs have to be met even as we are working to meet the needs of the people we serve.'

Successful innovations at the centre have included a new programme of family support. In addition to the outreach worker who works with pre-school settings, a second member of staff goes out and visits families in their homes. She is then available during drop-in sessions to help the families to establish themselves and get to know other users.

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