Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson hopes to transform childhoods (Image: PA)
Parents will be able to get neighbourhood help on subjects ranging from breastfeeding to debt advice when up to 1,000 new “family hubs” open across the nation. More than half a billion pounds will be invested to “tackle the stain of child poverty” by rolling out the centres in some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
The “Best Start Family Hubs” are intended to ensure “tens of thousands more children” are ready for school by the age of five. The hubs will act as “one stop shops” for parents looking for advice on subjects ranging from feeding babies to housing. There is concern that today many parents are “left to navigate the challenges of parenthood alone” and this can have a “devastating impact” on children’s development and life chances.
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Up to 1,000 hubs are expected to be up and running by the end of 2028. The new hubs are a 21st century successor to Sure Start, the flagship New Labour programme to help families with young children introduced in 1999. Paul Johnson, the outgoing director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said last year there is “convincing evidence” Sure Start “paid for itself” and it is a “tragedy” it was later cut back.
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “It’s the driving mission of this government to break the link between a child’s background and what they go on to achieve – our new Best Start Family Hubs will put the first building blocks of better life chances in place for more children. I saw firsthand how initiatives like Sure Start helped level the playing field in my own community, transforming the lives of children by putting in place family support in the earliest years of life, and as part of our plan for change, we’re building on its legacy for the next generation of children.
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“Making sure hard-working parents are able to benefit from more early help is a promise made, and promise kept – delivering a lifeline of consistent support across the nation, ensuring health, social care and education work in unison to ensure all children get the very best start in life.”
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The hubs will run activities for children up to the age of five and also help with services including birth registration and domestic abuse support, as well as offering support with stopping smoking and deal with parental conflict.
A new digital service will connect parents to both their local family hub as well as the NHS app.
Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said the Government has “put its money where its mouth”. She said she looked forward to the “best start in life strategy” due to be published tomorrow.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: “Today’s announcement brings little clarity on what’s genuinely new and what simply rebrands existing services. That lack of clarity is part of a wider pattern.
“This is a Government defined by broken promises and endless u-turns. The Department for Education is no exception.
“It promised to cover schools for their jobs tax – it didn’t. Promised 6,500 new teachers - teacher numbers are falling according to DfE’s own website.
“From this week’s chaotic welfare u-turns to the steady drift in policy, families know where this ends: higher taxes this autumn.”
But Dan Paskins of Save the Children UK said: “Focusing on family services for the under-fives will be vital in securing better outcomes for children, and we welcome the Best Start In Life announcement. We know from our work in local communities that bringing together parenting, healthcare and education support services in one place is an approach which works, so we are pleased to see the UK Government making it easier for families to get the help they need.
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“With ministers now demonstrating an increasingly ambitious plan for children in the UK, we hope this drive for change continues when the child poverty strategy is released in Autumn. This must include scrapping the two child limit to Universal Credit, which is the only meaningful way to reduce the UK’s record child poverty rate.”
And Matt Buttery, chief executive of the Triple P “postive parenting programme”, said: “By building on the proven legacy of Sure Start and expanding access to trusted, evidence-based parenting and early years support, these hubs will help parents feel more confident and equipped to give their children the very best start in life. However, if the government wants to end the postcode lottery, it must truly transform the digital offer for parents, making support available whenever and wherever parents need it most.
“Triple P research shows that while most parents see parenting as the most important job they will ever do, 75% feel a stigma attached to asking for help. A national digital rollout of evidence-based parenting support could be a game-changer — breaking down barriers, tackling stigma, and providing parents with the proven strategies and confidence they need to navigate modern parenting challenges, all from the comfort and ease of their own homes.”