A BERINSFIELD children’s centre is among the best in the county after being praised for the services it provides to the whole family.

The Wimbestraw Road facility has been given a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted.

The drop-in centre, which is run by the charity Parents and Children Together (PACT), opened in 2007 and has a catchment area of about 300 under-fives in Berinsfield and surrounding villages.

An Ofsted inspection last month found the facility making “a positive impact on the lives of families and children in the area”.

It said “the warmth of the welcome and the well-targeted, coordinated support and guidance families receive has resulted in an increasing number of families accessing the centre.”

Berinsfield Children’s Centre is the only children’s centre in the south of Oxfordshire to have received a ‘good’ rating.

The inspection report noted: “A strength of the centre is the work carried out by the well-trained family support worker and domestic violence champion who has a significant impact on whole families and their children before they reach formal education.

“Families faced with debt, eviction and those who have experienced domestic violence are given practical and emotional support so that they can take charge of their lives. The centre is successful in helping families to develop economic stability and independence.

“Families recognise that the centre is somewhere to turn to in times of crisis and that it helps them to turn their lives around.”

Centre manager Sandra Pearse said: “We are really pleased that all the hard work has been recognised. She added: “We are an open-access centre and we welcome families in.”