Andrea was appointed as the Government’s Early Years Health Adviser in 2020 and led a review into improving health outcomes for babies and young children. Following publication and subsequent adoption as Government policy of the report in March 2021, The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days, Andrea now chairs the Start for Life Unit, a team of civil servants tasked with implementing the various policies from the review.
Starting a family is wonderful and also overwhelming in so many ways!
Becoming a parent can be so challenging for everyone and all too often it is hard to find the support you need when you need it. The vision for the best Start for Life is all about making help easily available and in a joined up way for every family in the period from conception to the age of two - the 1001 critical days.
We all need help at some point, whether it’s with advice on crying, sleeping, weaning, or support with mental health issues, or with getting into a good breastfeeding routine. And many would welcome parenting support, including more information about how our babies develop and how as parents we can give them the best start in life.
For more than 25 years, my passion has been to make sure that every family and baby can get the best support. It is in the period from conception to age two that the building blocks for lifelong emotional and physical health are laid down, and if we get it right, we can improve the life and health chances of every baby.
I’ve spoken to lots of parents about their experiences - and what comes across loud and clear is that families need early years services - from midwifery to health visiting, from mental health to infant feeding support, and from parenting classes to debt advice services, to be joined up for them and easily accessible in a welcoming place that doesn’t make them feel any stigma.
It is that vision which lies behind the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme that is now being rolled out across England.
And we are also beginning the rollout of a digital version of the Red Book, so in future new parents will be able to access digital information about their baby, seek advice from early years staff as well as online help and guidance when you need it, any time of the day or night.
I would love to hear your views on early years support and services in your area - please do comment on this post below. Please also ask any questions you may have about the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
Andrea will return to this post next week to answer your questions.
Twitter: @andrealeadsom
Website: https://www.andrealeadsom.com/