Sure Start children's centres: a session in action.
Newington Library, London Borough of Southwark, November
2006 |
The Foster Carers' Library Card Scheme is designed especially
for Southwark foster carers and their families. It has been
set up to encourage the use of libraries for all children
looked after by Southwark foster carers.
Social Services and Libraries have combined efforts to
produce a Foster Carers Library Card. This card ensures
that children from foster care families are able to make
full use of services despite the fact that their family
could change. Wherever these children go in Southwark they
will be able take books home to read and to enjoy a continuous
service from their local library without having to worry
about joining procedures. Cards are sent to the homes of
all foster carers under Southwark Social Services in the
borough and entitlements include:
- The maximum loan of 20 items instead of 13
- The free loan of DVDs, CDs, talking books and computer
games
- No charge for overdue items
- Increased loan period of six weeks instead of the
normal three weeks for books and talking books
- Social services pick up the bill for damaged or lost
items
The card was launched at in October 2006, and by the end
of November there were 83 members. The week beginning 20
November showed a total of 226 issued items, 94 of which
were books.
There are roughly 40 families with home educated children
in Southwark. The educational department and the library
service are developing a similar library card to that given
to foster carers, to ensure that children have sufficient
access to books and other learning materials that they can
use at home to supplement their resources.
In addition to library card entitlements, the library service
will offer a space with free use of computers for parents
and children from home educated families to meet. Libraries
are assembling a Home Education Library Information Pack
for all members.
The CLPE, children's centres and libraries work together
to deliver Sure Start sessions in libraries. Sure Start
sessions are held in seven out of 12 libraries in Southwark
and several early years settings throughout the borough.
Early years literacy development workers with teaching
qualifications and early years workers from the library
service work together in each Sure Start session, and have
joined a total of 2518 new library members aged 0 to 4.
Outreach work carried out by the early years workers takes
place in various early years settings in Southwark, eg refugee
centres, schools during parents evenings and health centres.
The team promotes library services to parents and carers,
to develop their confidence to support their children's
learning and enjoyment of books at home.
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