Our response to the Government’s Best Start in Life strategy & 10 Year Health Plan for England

Better Start Bradford wholeheartedly agrees with the Government’s statement that every child should have the opportunity to ‘grow, play, learn and thrive’, as outlined in its new strategy ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ (1). We warmly welcome plans to increase access to family hubs and high-quality early years education, utilising the evidence of what works best to support families.

In addition, we support the focus on early prevention, increased access to health services and integrated models of support within the 10 Year Health Plan for England (2). This includes recognition of the needs of the baby, and critical first 1001 days of a child’s life, amongst a range of inclusive support for the 0-5 year age period.

Over the last 10 years Better Start Bradford has worked closely with local communities and partners from health, education, academia and voluntary sector settings to design science based and accessible services to support early years child development, from conception to pre-school. Our focus has always been on supporting those families most in need, with our services targeted in areas of high deprivation. We have built a strong foundation of increased awareness, specific learning and strengthened partnerships upon which to enable children to have the best start in life.

Our services- delivered in home, community and early years settings- have been designed to address vital childhood development needs such as nurturing family relationships, early communication and language skills, and good nutrition and oral health.  We know the earliest years are critical to a child’s future in terms of their health, wellbeing and life chances.

As we share learning from our whole systems approach to early years health and development, we look forward to working with local and wider partners to enable the implementation of the ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy and the ‘10 Year Health Plan for England’. In doing so, we welcome this significant opportunity to support thriving babies, children and families in our local communities.

For further enquiries please email [email protected]

Further information about Better Start Bradford

Better Start Bradford is a 10-year programme (2015-2025) funded by The National Lottery Community Fund to help children in Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton get the best start in life. We have provided more than 22 projects for pregnant women and families with children aged under four. The projects will help to improve children’s social and emotional development, communication and language development and nutrition. www.betterstartbradford.org.uk

References

1. Department for Education. 2025. Giving every child the best start in life. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686bd62a10d550c668de3be7/Giving_every_child_the_best_start_in_life.pdf, p12.
2. UK Government. 2025. Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6866387fe6557c544c74db7a/fit-for-the-future-10-year-health-plan-for-england.pdf