The Government has backtracked on a promise to boost council funding to offer early years health support to help parents bond with, and feed, infant children.
The support is designed to help improve the health of babies born to parents living in deprived areas.
It sits alongside the Family Hubs – the modern version of the New Labour government’s Sure Start scheme – which offers support and guidance to parents and families in order to give children the best start in life.
Currently 75 local authorities have been given funding under the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme.
‘Profound consequences’
But plans to expand access to both these policies across 78 more local authorities appear to have been shelved, with councils running Family Hubs told they will not get their expected share of a more than £100m additional Start for Life fund.
Thousands of families will miss out on this additional parenting support as a result, the Local Government Association warned, with “profound” consequences for the Government’s commitment to improving the lives of disadvantaged children.
Councillor Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA health and wellbeing committee, said she had “serious concerns” about the decision not to extend Start for Life funding to councils joining the Family Hubs programme.
“This risks undermining the ambition to give every child the best start in life and create the healthiest generation of children,” she told The i Paper.
“The 10-Year Health Plan committed to matching Start for Life services with Family Hub expansion to all local authorities to ensure seamless provision for all communities.
“The decision now not to extend the Start for Life funding for enhanced services to councils new to the programme contradicts those commitments, and leaves thousands of parents without access to the integrated health and early years support already available in 75 councils across the country.”
Funding for early years
Start for Life funds services such as perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationships, practical support for feeding and targeted parenting programmes to promote bonding and attachment.
In its 10-Year Plan for Health, unveiled in July, the Government committed to matching Start for Life services with the continued rollout of its Family Hubs.
“Building on the legacy of Sure Start, Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes have started to bring together children’s services, NHS and public health with a focus on the critical (first) 1,001 days (of a baby’s life). We will bring this support to all our communities by matching Start for Life to Family Hubs expansion to ensure seamless provision of services for families with young children,” the policy paper stated.
But while all councils will continue to receive Family Hubs funding, plans to expand access to the additional Start for Life money appear to have been shelved.
A letter sent to the 78 relevant councils, seen by The i Paper, read: “You will receive funding from the Department for Education to deliver Best Start Family Hubs.”
“The integration of health services in Best Start Family Hubs is fundamental to delivering improved outcomes for babies, children and their families. This is why the Government will prioritise funding the continuation of existing Start for Life services. At this time, it is not possible to extend Start for Life funding for enhanced services to new Local Authorities.”
Government urged to review decision
Councillor Taylor said: “The implications of this are profound. Start for Life provides a comprehensive package of early intervention support for the first 1,001 critical days.”
Such interventions are “essential” if the Government is to meet its target of improving early development in children, she said.
“It is unrealistic to expect councils newly joining the Best Start Family Hubs programme to deliver these enhanced services without dedicated investment. Councils are committed to delivering joined-up, preventative services, but without equitable funding the promise of Family Hubs cannot be fully realised,” Taylor added.
“We urge the Government to urgently review this decision and ensure a level playing field for all councils so that every child, regardless of where they live, can access the support they need.”
A Government spokesperson denied the decision was a “backtrack”, however.
“This claim is incorrect – we are expanding children’s services by rolling out Best Start Family Hubs to every local authority, backed by over £500 million,” the spokeperson said.
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“These hubs will join up health and children’s services so families can access support in one place, boosting early years care for babies and children nationwide.
“We are also investing in wider support, including the 24/7 national breastfeeding helpline, £688m for mental health, and almost £3.9bn through the Public Health Grant.”
Pushed on the assertion that the remaining authorities would not receive the promised Start for Life funding, the spokesperson said: “It’s not correct to say that this is a backtrack as we’re rolling out funding to all local authorities for Best Start Family Hubs via DfE which includes early years health services.”
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