Best Start Family Hubs
Debate between Lord Farmer and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)
My Lords, we are investing over £900 million in the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programmes, with an ambition for 1,000 hubs by 2028. New guidance published on 30 March outlines delivery expectations. While there will be a focus on pregnancy and the early years, hubs will welcome all families with older children up to the age of 19, or 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities, providing a universal offer for all.
Lord Farmer (Con)
I thank the Minister for that reply. Family hubs are not Sure Start rebranded. There is a multitude of problems affecting families with older children, yet all that is ever talked about, in my opinion, is the early years. Hubs need to support parents of teenagers to prevent them becoming and staying NEET. Alan Milburn’s report repeatedly highlights, in various paragraphs, why families are not a peripheral influence but central. Josh McAlister’s review found that teenagers are the largest growing cohort in child protection and care. What evidence can the Minister provide of family hubs’ outcomes in supporting parents with teenagers, and which local authorities are doing particularly well?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I recognise the noble Lord’s real commitment in this area and his work over the years. I stress that there are good examples of hubs providing support for families with teenagers, such as in Coventry, where over 400 young people were brought together with 65 partner organisations to facilitate access to services. We are talking about transformation. We are not talking about the older models; we are moving forward. I agree with the noble Lord that evidence of outcomes is important, although that takes time to come through, as the recent IFS report has shown. We are committed to evaluating the programme fully and are procuring for that now.
Best Start Family Hubs
Debate between Lord Farmer and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
As my noble friend mentions, early years is a real priority for this Government, starting with our plan for change and a national target by 2028 to increase the proportion of children achieving a good level of development when starting school. We have followed this up with statutory targets for every local authority, with each one tasked with producing ambitious local plans to deliver. Best Start Family Hubs are one vital element of the best start in life strategy but, as my noble friend mentions, this will have impacts right across government.
Lord Farmer (Con)
My Lords, I should like to build on the noble Baroness’s question. Will the Minister advise whether this Government are still committed to Best Start Family Hubs supporting families with children who are older than five? It should go from nought to 19, or nought to 25 for SEND children, as the emphasis in their publications has been on what we might call the Sure Start age range of nought to five. What will the Government expect family hubs to provide in reducing parental conflict and providing support for separating and separated parents?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I acknowledge the noble Lord’s involvement in setting up the family hub programme under the previous Government. I reassure him that Best Start Family Hubs will be open to all families with children aged nought to 19 and up to 25 for young people with SEND. They will be welcoming spaces where every family feels valued and confident to ask for help. They will be open to older children and they can become part of the local youth offer, including Young Futures hubs, where that makes sense locally—these programmes will be locally driven. We are working with other government departments to determine what additional services will be included in Best Start Family Hubs. That will be reflected in further guidance, which we will publish in spring 2026.