Chloe Smith continues Social Mobility Campaign with visit to local Children’s Centre

Chloe Smith, Member of Parliament for Norwich North will on Friday 22^nd April 2016 visit the Action for Children Catton Grove, Fiddlewood and Mile Cross Children’s Centre to meet with the Service Co-Ordinator and service users to learn more about their work.

 

Chloe, who in February launched a Social Mobility Campaign to bring about improved life-chances for young people growing up in Norwich, will receive a tour of the Children’s Centre and will visit a group of Mothers at the Centre’s Feeding Group. Chloe will speak with the mothers about the support they receive from the Children’s Centre and the benefits they feel the Children’s Centre brings to them.

 

Following the Social Mobility Index published in January 2106 by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, showing that children growing up in the Norwich City Council area to have some of the worst life chances in England; Chloe was dismayed to learn these findings and began to work closely with key partners to see what can be done to resolve this.

 

Chloe has taken up the battle in Parliament too, calling a debate on the report, putting questions to Ministers, and regularly meeting with experts in the field.  In Westminster, Chloe has met with the Centre for Social Justice and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to discuss how best to tackle poverty in our society.

In Norwich, Chloe has hosted a roundtable of local and regional MPs, Council Leaders, Head Teachers, the Bishop of Norwich, the Job Centre and the Local Enterprise Partnership.  Chloe has argued that every child in Norwich, whatever their background should have the knowledge, skills, confidence and networks to succeed. Her social mobility campaign builds on the success of the Norwich for Jobs project, founded during the last parliament, which has helped to halve youth unemployment in our city.

The Action for Children Catton Grove, Fiddlewood and Mile Cross Children’s Centre was featured on BBC Radio Norfolk was featured on the same day as Chloe’s Social Mobility Roundtable meeting, discussing the ways they support local families.

Chloe comments: “It is important for me to visit Children’s Centres and other key service providers who support children and families in Norwich to learn more about the great work they are doing and to look for opportunities to harness this good work and ensure it is available to children and families who need it most.”