1997 Labour comes to power after 18 years of Conservative government

Establishment of Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) process

1998 Comprehensive Spending Review on Services for Children under Eight published, Sure Start funding announced in Parliament: total allocation of £450 million over three years, budget £184 million in final year of spending period, 2001/02

1999 January: first Sure Start trailblazer areas announced

March: Prime Minister Tony Blair announces the pledge to end child poverty in a generation and halve child poverty in 10 years

October reshuffle: Tessa Jowell goes to the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and Yvette Cooper takes over as Minister for Public Health at the Department of Health (DH) and so takes on responsibility for Sure Start

2000 First CSR after establishment of Sure Start in 1998, programme doubled from 250 local programmes to 500, budget settlement for final year of spending review (2003/04) was £499 million

2001 January: Children and Young People's Unit established at the DfEE to coordinate all policy on children and young people across Whitehall and to administer the Children's Fund

2001 June: general election, creation of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), David Blunkett leaves the DfEE to become Home Secretary; Estelle Morris becomes Secretary of State at the newly created DfES

November: publication of Tackling Child Poverty as part of the Pre-Budget Report

2002 May: Hazel Blears replaces Yvette Cooper as Minister for Public Health and takes over responsibility for Sure Start, reporting to Estelle Morris at the DfES for Sure Start matters; Andrew Smith replaces Alistair Darling as Secretary of State at the DWP

July: CSR announcements include the merger of the Sure Start Unit with early years and childcare responsibilities at the DfES, and joint responsibility for Sure Start moves from the DH and DfES to the DWP and DfES

CSR settlement announced for combined childcare and Sure Start Children's Centres, budget for final year of CSR period (2005/06) was £1.5 billion

Baroness Catherine Ashton takes over responsibility for Sure Start from Hazel Blears and reports on Sure Start to Andrew Smith at the DWP and Estelle Morris at the DfES

October: Charles Clarke becomes Secretary of State at the DfES after resignation of Estelle Morris