A £1M scheme is being launched to help disadvantaged young families in Darlington.

The town's final programme for Sure Start has been approved by the Government.

Sure Start aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children under four, and their families, through better health, child care and education.

Each programme must involve local people in designing, managing and running the Sure Start scheme.

Key agencies are also working together in new ways to make sure services are provided to benefit the children and their families.

The Sure Start area covers six electoral wards in the Darlington Borough Council area: North Road, North Road South, Central, Northgate North, College and Pierremont.

These areas will receive up to £1.6m from the Government over the next three years, but to make a worthwhile commitment to children, Sure Start Darlington has plans for up to ten years ahead.

The Sure Start partnership, which involves the local authority, health services, voluntary organisations and parents, has worked to develop the scheme.

Sue Younghusband, Sure Start co-ordinator, said "All partners share a strong commitment to Sure Start, and by bringing everyone together who works with children in the area, and working with the local community we can really make a difference".

Among the areas which the Sure Start project will look at is improving the environment, particularly in North Road.

It will look at improving the provision of play areas in the target areas. At present, they lack safe indoor and outdoor play areas.

The partnership also wants to improve adult literacy, increase library membership and cut down the number of absences in local schools.

The area which the Sure Start scheme will take in is known as the North Road corridor.

It has between 400 and 800 children, aged under four, is between one and two miles from boundary to boundary, and has high levels of poverty and disadvantage.

It also includes a high proportion of people from ethnic minorities and travelling families