The UK government is set to roll out a Healthy Babies programme to every local authority in England. This initiative aims to expand a Sure Start-type system designed to assist deprived children and families, focusing on infant feeding, mental health, and fostering strong bonds between parents and their babies.
Programme Overview
The Healthy Babies programme will provide support through health visits, midwifery care, and a variety of additional services. It seeks to emulate the principles of Sure Start, a network of centres established in 1998 under a Labour government, which was recognized as a significant success. A study indicated that Sure Start generated long-term savings worth twice its cost. However, much of the initiative was dismantled due to substantial spending cuts by the Conservative government.
Funding and Expansion
The new policy for family hubs will allocate £500 million to establish 1,000 centres starting in April 2027. During the Labour conference in Liverpool, Yvette Cooper, the Health and Social Care Secretary, announced that the Healthy Babies programme will reach up to 1,000 family hubs over the next two years. Despite the Labour government opening new family hubs across England, more than half of local authorities currently lack Healthy Babies services.
