The proposed Private Members’ Bill, Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill 2023-24 is a bill to make provision for and in connection with the making available of information about support available for infants, parents and carers of infants, and prospective parents and carers, including reporting requirements relating to such support.
Key messages
- Family hubs bring together multiple organisations in a ‘one stop shop’ with the aim of making it easier for families to access help and support. Partners work together in a joined-up way to deliver the right help at the right time.
- The Government should provide multi-year and timely settlements for Family Hubs and councils more broadly to allow them to plan and make meaningful financial decisions.
- Councils are facing significant financial challenges, and extending Family Hubs funding is crucial to providing babies, children and families with the support they need. The LGA continues to call for this scheme extended to all councils so these transformative benefits can be felt across the country.
- The LGA believes it is important that families are able to access information about the services and support available for infants, parents, carers, and prospective parents and carers in their local area.
Background
In July 2020, the then Prime Minister asked Dame Andrea Leadsom MP to chair a review into improving health and development outcomes for babies in England. ‘The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days’ report was published in March 2021, following an intensive period of engagement with parents, carers, sector professionals, volunteers and academics.
In the Autumn Budget 2021, the Government announced around £300m investment into the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme that would provide support for 75 upper tier local authorities in England. The 75 councils pre-selected to take part in the programme were announced in April 2022 and the programme is jointly overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE). This built on previous funding for family hubs, including £12m announced in 2021 for 12 areas to receive funding through the Family Hubs Transformation Fund.
Family hubs are for families with babies, children and young people from birth until they reach the age of 19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). The programme emphasises the importance of the first 1,001 days (from conception to age two) for laying important foundations for children’s emotional and physical development and ensuring parents and carers can give their children the best possible start in life.
Family hubs bring together multiple organisations in a ‘one stop shop’ with the aim of making it easier for families to access help and support. Partners work together in a joined-up way to deliver the right help at the right time. This can include a range of services, such as infant feeding support, parenting classes, health visiting, birth registration, baby and toddler groups, mental health support, advice on benefits, housing, and help to return to work or training.
Some councils may already have family hubs, and these will look different in different parts of the country. For some, they may build on previous children’s centre and Sure Start models, whilst others may be in a newly developed building or make use of a network of other community facilities. Many will also be underpinned by a strong online offer that gives families information about local services and enables them to navigate the system.
Support for infants and parents Private Members’ Bill
The proposed Private Members’ Bill, Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill 2023-24 is a bill to make provision for and in connection with the making available of information about support available for infants, parents and carers of infants, and prospective parents and carers, including reporting requirements relating to such support.
The LGA believes it is important that families are able to access information about the services and support available for infants, parents, carers, and prospective parents and carers in their local area.
Councils who were part of the 75 selected in 2022 (or the Trailblazer LAs) to establish or develop their own Family Hubs will already be doing this as part of the Start for Life programme requirements. Information about what is required in terms of making information available for parents is available within Annex E of the Family Hub Model Framework. Many other councils (not part of the programme) will already have this information publicly available on their websites for parents and carers of infants.
If this Bill were brought in to mandate councils to provide this information, additional funding should be provided to allow councils to allocate resource to develop and maintain this online offer to ensure its accuracy and relevance to parents.
Family hubs represent an important opportunity for councils to support families and to help them gain access to a range of vital services in their communities.
Councils are facing significant financial challenges, and extending Family Hubs funding is crucial to providing babies, children and families with the support they need. The LGA continues to call for this scheme extended to all councils so these transformative benefits can be felt across the country.
The Government should provide multi-year and timely settlements for Family Hubs and councils more broadly to allow them to plan and make meaningful financial decisions.
Contact:
Archie Ratcliffe,
Public Affairs and Campaigns Advisor
Mobile: 07867 189177 | Phone: 020 3838 4868
Email: [email protected]