Children's Centres
There are 18 children's centres located across Bolton and a number of outreach centres, each has its own place in the heart of local communities, providing a range of services to families / carers with children up to five years old.
What is a Children's Centre?
What is available through Children’s Centres?
Who can benefit?
How to get involved?
Please click into the map below to view information on a specific centre or alternatively scroll to the bottom of this page and see the pages 'In this section'.
The aim of a Children’s Centre is to ensure that children and their families receive good quality services that support them during the important first years in a child’s life.
A wide range of support is available, from general, to more specific help for individual children who need it. Children’s Centres bring together a number of existing services such as Midwifery, Health Visitors and other health services, family support, childcare provision, employment services and information and delivers them from a setting within the community.
Everyone works together with the children and families / carers with the aim of helping every child to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being. You may have heard of these headings as they make up the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda and together they mean that every child is given the best possible start in life.
Each of the Centres provides a slightly different range of services to support their community:
- A range of Health Services from Ante-natal to Post-natal and the Child Health Promotion Programme.
- Links with Jobcentre Plus to provide information on training and getting back into work.
- Good quality early education and childcare provision.
- An information service on a wide range of topics including information on finding and paying for childcare.
- Family Support Services.
- Support for children and parents with special needs.
- Home visits to make sure all families are receiving the services they need.
Staff at the centres can also provide information on services and activities for children and their families including
- registered childcare providers
- parent and toddler groups
- disabled children's services
- leisure activities
For full details on services and activities contact your local centre.
All parents and carers of children from pregnancy to five years will benefit from a number of contacts with the Children's Centre Multi Agency Team at key stages in their child's development. Centres provide a range of sessions some are open to all; others are designed to support particular stages in a child and family’s life for which invitations are given.
Most services are free, but some may have a small cost attached. Details and costs can be obtained from your local centre.
Each centre runs a Parents' Group where parents and carers can be involved and have a say in what services are needed. The group is a good way of meeting other parents / carers that live in the community and of finding out what is happening in the local area.
Each centre has an Advisory Board which includes representation from the local community. For more information contact your local centre.