Embedding prevention and early intervention in midwifery: Better Start Bradford’s legacy

Over the past several years, Better Start Bradford has proudly collaborated with the University of Bradford to provide meaningful, values-based learning experiences for midwifery students. As a Specialist Midwife within the programme, I have witnessed first-hand how this partnership has enabled students to embed the principles of prevention and early intervention into their developing professional identities.

A unique learning environment

Better Start Bradford’s holistic model places the child and family at the heart of service design, focusing on the first 1001 days – a critical developmental window from conception to a child’s second birthday.

Recognising the long-term impact of this period on a child’s life chances, Better Start  Bradford curated a range of multi-agency, community-embedded projects that brought theoretical knowledge to life for students.

Through the week-long, bespoke, first-year specialist placements, midwifery students were immersed in environments that showcased what early intervention can look like when done well. This ranged from engaging fathers during pregnancy, to promoting healthy nutrition in the early years, and addressing perinatal mental health. This furnished the students with a robust understanding of the impact of the first 1001 days, including the ways we as midwives can best support families. These real-world insights supported the midwifery curriculum’s emphasis on public health, health inequalities, and family-centred care.

The importance of early recognition and intervention is embedded across the pre-registration midwifery programmes offered at the University of Bradford. Through collaboratively co-produced case studies, simulation and teaching, students are provided with the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding at increasing depth as they progress through their training. This has given students a different perspective to consider, which is then reflected in student responses in exams and assessments – demonstrating the success of integrating topics such as enhanced perinatal and infant mental health content into the curriculum.

Linking practice with policy

Midwifery students explored how national frameworks – such as the Healthy Child Programme, Start for Life, and the Better Births maternity review – translated into local innovation. Our projects demonstrated the power of co-production with families, and how this could shape services that were truly responsive to community needs.

This approach helped students critically analyse how socioeconomic factors, such as poverty, housing, and access to services, influence maternal and infant health. The opportunity to witness the barriers some families face – and how local teams work to overcome them – was often cited by students as both humbling and professionally formative.

Developing professional confidence and public health skills

Better Start Bradford placements moved beyond clinical competencies to enhance softer but equally vital skills – communication, advocacy, cultural humility, and the ability to navigate multi-agency working. Students joined maternity circles, supported toddler play sessions, shadowed early years specialists, and engaged with community partners including faith groups, VCS organisations, and health visitors.

These experiences built confidence in delivering public health messages and initiating sensitive conversations with families, such as those about smoking in pregnancy or safe sleeping. Many students commented that they felt better prepared to become proactive midwives, not just reactive clinicians.

A legacy that lives on

Although Better Start Bradford’s formal commissioning phase has ended, its legacy lives on. The learning, models of working, and reflective tools created with students continue to influence how early intervention is taught and understood. Several Better Start Bradford initiatives have been recommissioned under Family Hubs and Start for Life, allowing the ethos of prevention and early intervention to remain central to Bradford’s maternity and early years offer.

Students now enter the workforce more attuned to health inequalities, and with upstream thinking- essential in today’s maternity landscape. Students will now go onto champion continuity of carer, embed trauma-informed approaches, and aspire to work within public health leadership roles.

Final reflections

As a Specialist Midwife, it has been a privilege to watch students develop a deep respect for early years work, seeing it not as peripheral, but as core to what it means to be a midwife. Prevention is not an optional extra – it is our duty.

Our hope is that future generations of midwives, supported by the values and principles instilled through Better Start Bradford, will continue to advocate for families during those first 1001 days – ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.