Healthy Babies services to be extended to every local authority in England

The UK government is extending its Healthy Babies programme to every local authority in England as part of a wider plan to provide Sure Start-style support for families with young children. The programme will offer help with infant feeding, parents’ mental health and building strong bonds with babies. It will operate alongside health visits, midwifery care and other family services.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to announce that the programme will reach up to 1,000 family hubs over the next two years. The government has said its family-hub policy will provide £500 million to open 1,000 centres from April 2027. More than half of local authorities currently have family hubs without Healthy Babies services, according to the supplied material.

Cooper is expected to say that those services will now be brought to every family centre. The programme follows the principles of Sure Start, a network launched in 1998 under a Labour government to provide integrated services for children under five and their families. The earlier programme was substantially dismantled after spending cuts under Conservative governments.

Supporters of Sure Start have linked it to improved long-term outcomes and savings. One study cited in the material found that it generated longer-term savings worth twice its cost. The government has also announced plans to place qualified early-years teachers in the most deprived areas.

The policy is intended to strengthen support for families and address inequalities that can emerge before children begin school.