Investment in our children's early years is absolutely crucial
It was a privilege to serve as a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board for Andrea Leadsom’s pioneering Early Years Healthy Development Review (EYHDR) which looked at how we can improve the health and development outcomes of babies and young children in England. This review shone a light on the need for easier access to early year services so I was thrilled at the Chancellor's budget announcement of a £500 million investment in family support and was particularly pleased to see plans for the rollout of 75 family hubs.
Family hubs enable existing family help services together to improve access to services but also to help build connections between families and whilst family hubs can take on different formats each will follow a number of key principles:
- more accessible – through clearly branded and communicated hub buildings, virtual offers and outreach.
- better connected – family hubs drive progress on joining up professionals, services and providers (state, private, voluntary) – through co-location, data sharing, shared outcomes and governance. Moving from services organised for under-fives, to families with children of all ages, reduces fragmentation (even though an emphasis on early years and the ‘Start for Life’ offer will remain).
- relationship-centred – practice in a family hub builds on family strengths and looks to improve family relationships to address underlying issues.
I was therefore pleased to be able to ask the Prime Minister about the Government's longer term plans for the rollout of family hubs.
Prime Minister's Questions - November 24
I am absolutely delighted with the half a billion-pounds Start4Life funding that was announced in the Budget. My right hon. Friend knows from personal experience how important those early years are, whether we are talking about parenting advice, access to healthcare or age-appropriate theme parks. Does he agree that rolling out family hubs to 75 local authority areas is a great start? Will he confirm that it if it a successful programme, the Government’s aim is to roll it out across the whole country?
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
I thank my hon. Friend very much and she is totally right in what she says about Start4Life. I am just looking to see whether my right hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom) is still in her place. She has vanished, but I want to thank her because she has championed this for many, many years. My hon. Friend is right to say that investment in kids’ early years is absolutely crucial. That is why this Government have begun Start4Life and, yes, if it works, we will roll it out across the country.
