Best Start Family Hubs

Lord Farmer Excerpts

Wednesday 10th June 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Farmer]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in ensuring that Best Start Family Hubs support families with children aged 5–19 years old and up to 25 years old for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

[Lord Farmer (Con)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. I declare my interest as co-founder of the not-for-profit Family Hubs Network Ltd.

[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.