DHSC: SCI: Healthy Babies Evaluation

What is Healthy Babies? <br/><br/>Healthy Babies (HB), formerly referred to as Start for Life (2022–2026), provides integrated, preventative support for families in the critical period from conception to age two. DHSC funds 75 local authorities (LAs) to deliver enhanced Healthy Babies services focus on infant feeding, parent‑infant relationships and perinatal mental health. Healthy Babies services are delivered through Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs). Additionally, we provide funding for LAs to i) engage parents and carers on service design and delivery, and ii) to produce a ‘Healthy Babies Offer’, where LAs are supported to bring together all their services aimed at families with babies into one place. In total, DHSC is investing £200m into Healthy Babies over the 2026/27 to 2028/29 phase of Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies delivery. <br/><br/> LAs are provided with guidance which sets expectations for what they are to deliver and how delivery should be achieved. The Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Guidance has been provided to LAs for delivery from 2026 – 2029 here. Previous versions of the guidance (under previous Family Hubs and Start for Life naming) are available here (2022-2025) and here (2025-2026). <br/><br/> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-programme-local-authority-guidehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-programme-local-authority-guide-2025-to-2026https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c6be4acdfd19de13d0f810/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.docx.pdf <br/><br/>Healthy Babies, formerly referred to as ‘Start for Life’ (2022 – 2026) has three overarching objectives: <br/><br/>Provide support to parents and carers to help them nurture their babies and children, improving health and education outcomes for all; <br/><br/>Contribute to a reduction in inequalities in health and education outcomes for babies, children and families across England by ensuring that support reaches all families, including marginalised communities and/or those most in need; <br/><br/>Build the evidence base for what works when it comes to improving health and education outcomes for babies, children and families in different delivery contexts. <br/><br/> Why is this a priority for government? <br/><br/>As set out in the Plan for Change, 10 Year Health Plan and Best Start in Life strategy the Government has committed to continuing Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) and Healthy Babies, with DHSC delivering the Healthy Babies component. <br/><br/> The government intends that, in every Best Start Family Hub, families will be able to find the core support they need in one place: friendly parenting advice, help to support children’s learning and development at home, early help for children with additional needs and support during pregnancy and the first years of life (including access to infant feeding, perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship support, maternity services and health visiting). There will also be groups, activities, peer support and practical help shaped around what local families say would make the biggest difference. By involving families in designing what each hub offers, the hubs will reflect the needs, strengths and everyday realities of the communities they serve. <br/><br/> <br/>Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services will also be central to wider reforms, strengthening the end-to-end system for families and embedding prevention at the heart of local delivery. They will be central to increasing school readiness and delivering SEND reforms, complement Families First Partnerships, support the Healthy Child Programme, and a cornerstone of the emerging Neighbourhood Health Service. <br/><br/>Why do we need an evaluation of Healthy Babies? <br/><br/>To meet our third objective, we must build the evidence base on how the programme has been delivered, the outcomes that have been impacted and the progress we are making towards the government’s missions. Whilst the programme focuses on interventions with good evidence of improving child and parent outcomes, there is more to understand about the relationship between the services being delivered, the different delivery models through which they operate and the outcomes for children and their families as well as the value for money in this type of early intervention activity. Crucially, we need to understand what works, for whom and in what contexts, and how this creates benefit for families, to inform future policy development & make the case for further investment in this important programme.