Last April the Government named the 75 local authorities that are taking part in the Start for Life and Family Hub programme. The programme is backed by £300m in funding up to 2025.
Earlier this year, 14 trailblazer hubs were chosen to receive extra funding to 'lead the way to improve services for families' and help the 'wider rollout' of the programme, which is already underway in some areas.
Family hubs provide services for families for children up to the age of 19, and up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Government-commissioned review will report on emerging themes and make recommendations to support the improvement of families’ experiences of Start for Life services, and their delivery through the family hubs model.
Start for Life services are those available to families during the 1,001 days from a child’s conception to the age of two.
The terms of reference for the review state that it will focus on answering one question: ‘To what extent do families have a positive experience of Start for Life services, delivered through the family hub model?’
As part of the Government-commissioned review, Ofsted and the CQC will visit a sample of volunteer local authorities that already have hubs to hear from families and carers using the services to find out about their experiences.
They will also hear from local area leaders and professionals involved with delivering ‘Start for Life’ services about their progress, taking into account the local circumstances of each area.
It will also ask how joined-up services are for families to try and find out, for example, whether ‘families find themselves repeating their baby’s health “story” and experiences to different professionals? Are relevant health records and information about a baby’s development and safeguarding shared between professionals within local Start for Life systems?’
This includes the services that are available to all parents and carers who need them (such as health visits and infant feeding support) as well as services for which provision differs across the country (such as support with alcohol abuse).
The review will:
- evaluate families’ experiences of local services and whether these services are joined up effectively
- identify ways in which families can be further supported to give their babies the best start in life
- identify whether the current level of inspection of Start for Life services is sufficient to capture any issues around join up and to improve families’ experiences of local services.
Yvette Stanley, national director of regulation and social care at Ofsted, said, ‘We know how important the first few years are in equipping children with the tools they need to thrive in early childhood and beyond. These services are essential to making sure every family has access to the support they need.
‘This review will help support our understanding of how effectively these services are working and ensure every child gets the best start in life.’
Nigel Thompson, deputy director for multiagency operations at CQC, said, ‘We know that being able to access caring, responsive, and effective support from local services during pregnancy and childhood improves child and parental wellbeing.
‘This review allows us to work with parents, carers, professionals and area leaders to understand what works for families and what is required to make sure every child gets the support they need.’