E-petition debate: Children and bereavement
A debate on child bereavement will take place in Westminster Hall on 2 December 2024. The subject for this debate was determined by the Petitions Committee and the debate will be led by Kevin Bonavia MP.
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on information on support available for parents and carers of infants on Tuesday 12 March 2024, at 4:30pm. This debate will last for one hour and will be led by Sally-Ann Hart MP.
There are many forms of support potentially available to parents and carers of infants, depending on their specific circumstances. This support can be provided by a range of organisations and can include, but is not limited to:
Some of these services are available to everyone, and some are targeted at certain families depending on need.
In March 2021, the Government published the report of the Early Years Healthy Development Review, chaired by Andrea Leadsom, The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days.
The report emphasised the importance of the period from the start of pregnancy to the age of two. It stated that these 1,001 days “set the foundations for an individual’s cognitive, emotional and physical development” and are also a time when “babies are at their most vulnerable”.
While the report noted “the many different services available” to support families during the first 1,001 days, it added that “all too often…families are left to work out for themselves not only what help they need, but also where to find it.” It added that “the Start for Life offer is patchy, is not joined up, and is not easily accessible for parents, making it almost impossible for them to navigate the system.”
The report encouraged every local authority in England, working with the NHS and other partners, to “publish a clear Start for Life offer for parents in their area – a single publication making parents and carers aware of what support they can expect in their local area.” It said this should be published on local authority websites and made available in places like libraries, community centres and GP surgeries.
In terms of accessing Start for Life services, the report said that family hubs were “at the heart of [the Government’s] vision for baby-centred services” and that the Government would encourage all family hubs to include a specific Start for Life offer. It explained:
Local Family Hub networks may consist of both physical and virtual places where services to support families come together, from birth registration to midwifery, health visiting to mental health support and parenting courses to infant feeding advice. All of the many ‘wrap-around’ services provided by local authorities and health organisations – ranging from debt and housing advice and relationship support services, to language classes and support to overcome domestic abuse, substance abuse or to improve wellbeing – can also be accessible through Family Hubs.
At the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the Government announced £300 million for a Family Hubs and Start for Life programme “to transform services for parents, babies, carers, and children in half of local authorities in England”.
The programme is intended to meet the commitments made in the report of the Early Years Healthy Development Review and comprises the following for 75 local authority areas for the period 2022 to 2025:
In February 2023, the Government published guidance for local authorities on publishing their Start for Life offer. The guidance acknowledges that it is “not always easy for families to access information about what support is available.” It states that a local authority’s Start for Life offer “should include all services available locally for families during the period from conception to the age of 2.” This will, it says, help ensure that “families can identify the support and services that will help them give our youngest citizens the best possible start in life.”
The guidance additionally states:
The guidance states that the Government’s ambition is “that all local authorities will have an easily accessible, single point of reference that families can use to navigate local services specifically for babies from conception to 2 years of age.”
It adds that even if an area has not been selected to receive a share of the Start for Life programme funding, the guidance “is designed to help [them] to bring together a Start for Life offer that clearly sets out the services available to families locally.” For those areas that are part of the programme, a programme guide sets out what they are expected to deliver.
Further information is available on Gov.uk at: Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
On 7 February 2024, Sally-Ann Hart MP introduced the Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill.
The Bill provides for each local authority in England to be required to publish a Start for Life offer on its website (and by other means deemed appropriate) and prescribes the services that must be included in the offer (Clause 1).
Local authorities would be required to have regard to guidance published by the Secretary of State when complying with this duty (Clauses 1(5) and 2).
The Bill also provides for the Secretary of State to be required to publish a report each year on the support available in England for infants, parents and carers of infants, and prospective parents and carers. As well as an overview of the support available, the report would be required to include any other information the Secretary of State considers appropriate – “for example, information about any impacts of support on outcomes for such persons”.
The Bill, which is a Presentation Bill, is scheduled to have its Second Reading on 15 March 2024. However, it is 13th in the list of Bills for that day and so is unlikely to be debated.
A debate on child bereavement will take place in Westminster Hall on 2 December 2024. The subject for this debate was determined by the Petitions Committee and the debate will be led by Kevin Bonavia MP.
Information on what action the Child Maintenance Service can take and the powers it has to collect unpaid maintenance
An overview of funding for childcare providers in England since 2017-18.