Young People and their Children

Supportive Responses to Young Parents – the Base Childcare Facility To support young people who are also young parents, the Base has developed an integrated response. It has done this through the provision of a service offering childcare, early child education and development along with support specific to young people as parents as linked to the Teen Parent Support Programme (TPSP), the Youth Work Programme, the Youth Health Service and other appropriate responses such as education/training within the Arts/Music and New Media Programmes.

The childcare service provides young parents with the means to engage in the Base programmes, activities, education, training and employment through provision of childcare for their children. It supports their child’s development, care and well being by providing high quality care and protection along with measures that support their education and individual development. The young people as parents can access supports within the TPSP such as advice in parenting skills, assistance with accommodation, counselling, personal development programmes, education/training and lots more. (See Programmes and Services for more information)

In an area with ever increasing high numbers of lone parents, this service is critical to the community and particularly its young people. The childcare service provides 34 full-time places and 20 part-time places. It strives to be a centre of excellence in childcare provision, with high quality, flexible and affordable childcare that will assist in improving the life chances of children and their parents.

The Childcare Facility

The Childcare Facility has been designed to meet best practise guidelines and will demonstrate a model of best practice in the provision of integrated childcare facilities as a measure to invigorate and revitalise an extremely disadvantaged community, providing parents with affordable, flexible childcare

The design of the structure allows for a warm, bright and open environment, with easily accessible garden and playground areas. It will cater for 34 full-time places with provision for six baby places, 12 children aged 1 to 3 years and 16 children from 3 to 6 years. It will have an additional 20 sessional places to cater for part-time and occasional childcare needs of young parents. There will be access from the childcare rooms to the garden and playground areas.

Upstairs in the centre there is an Arts room where people of all ages can explore their imagination through traditional arts and crafts and there is also a Health Suite, office and meeting spaces.

Childcare Facility Specification:

Separate entrance into the reception area, with buggy storage
Baby care, junior care and senior care rooms
Milk rooms, nappy changing rooms and sleeping rooms
Staff office, storage, toilets and kitchen
Garden and Playground to the front
Hard surface Playground to the side, both bordered with wall and fencing