Children's minister Beverley Hughes said the guidance makes it clear what families could expect and how children's centres could ensure they meet local needs.
'It also places Sure Start Children's Centres where they belong - at the heart of our anti-child poverty efforts,' she said.
The revised guidance incorporates findings and case studies in the latest reports from the National Evaluation of Sure Start, published on Friday.
They examine how effectively Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) are reaching the most socially excluded families.
Research suggests that it is essential that health services are integrated into the outreach and home visiting programme.
'Where health services were semi-detached from SSLPs, it took longer for programmes to get going and it was less likely that the programme of services would reach families,' the report said.
Comments made to researchers suggest that outreach helps to build trust with parents and that they had positive experiences of outreach and home visits. One mother said, 'I saw the support worker for five or six months.
she was more like a friend.'
The report also found that helping parents to focus on what can be done for their children can motivate them to see beyond their own problems.
In the letter to local authorities and other stakeholders accompanying the guidance, Sure Start deputy director Ann Gross said, 'Centre managers should ensure effective outreach and home visiting services are used to increase contact with families who are at greatest risk of exclusion.
Parents should be encouraged to contribute their views on services and get more involved in the management of centres in their area.'
Download the latest NESS reports, Empowering Parents and Outreach and Home Visiting, at www.dfes.gov.uk/research and find the guidance Sure Start Children's Centres Guidance and Sure Start Children's Centres Planning and Performance Guidance at www.surestart.gov.uk.
