A HIGH profile scheme with £1.6m to help disadvantaged young families in Darlington is being rolled out to five new areas.

At present Sure Start, which aims to give children under four the best possible launch towards adulthood, covers the North Road area of the town.

But now a programme is being put together for Cockerton, Park East, Lingfield, Lascelles and Bank Top to target children even before they are born, by working with parents to-be so that the children can flourish at home and at school.

The organisation has applied to take over a Grade II listed building in McNay Road in the grounds of the North Road museum for a year until it finds a permanent base.

Pauline Murray, joint co-ordinator, said it wanted to be able to set up a one-stop shop approach for families who needed information and help.

Although the money was made available last year, the North Road project was just getting into its stride as it concentrates on parent involvement, including ethnic groups, the travelling community and teenage mothers.

She told Tuesday's social affairs and health scrutiny committee: "One of the first things we do when we make contact is to give every family in the area a smoke alarm."

Sure Start is setting up a 30-place nursery and bringing in story books and educational toys to encourage parents to read and play with their children.

"We have a lot of ideas and real opportunities to enhance their potential and life opportunities. One parent suggested having a community caf where they can look at a budgeting, family meals and a healthy eating programme," she went on.

"In a way Sure Start it is also a leap of faith. The thinking behind it is - if it works there will be less call on other statutory organisations.

"If we reduce the number of children going into hospital in the first year of life, you are saving money on acute health services.

"That allows our colleagues in health to start reshaping their services. So you are releasing resources from one area and begin to close another area."

Plugging gaps in services was one of its briefs, shifting the emphasis from being rescuers to preventing situations developing in the first place.