Sure start - a programme, funded by central government, that integrates a range of children's services in specific disadvantaged areas for all families with children under four living in those areas. Sure Start schemes aim to improve the social and emotional development of children by helping parents to function more effectively, to improve the ability of the children to learn by encouraging stimulating play and improving language skills, to strengthen the resources of the area to assist all families with children under four.Sure Start schemes generally bring together a range of service projects with the intention of adding value through local integration.All schemes must strive to reach certain centrally set targets-such as increasing the number of mothers who are breast-feeding, indentifying and supporting mothers who may give birth to a low weight baby, reducing number of mothers smoking.They require high levels of parent involvement from the start as well as with major service agencies such as primary schools and community organisations