Preliminary Market Engagement - Online Parenting Interventions

On the 7th of July 2025, the government published Giving every child the best start in life. ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ outlines how the government will improve child development and ensure that all children have the chance to achieve and thrive. To achieve the government’s overall mission objective of closing the opportunity gap, a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn has been set. Progress will be measured through 75% of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development (GLD) in the early years foundation stage assessment by 2028. This assessment looks at children’s development across areas like language, personal, social and emotional development, and maths and literacy. This strategy pledges to deliver a “new evidenced-informed core offer for parents” of which a “digital parenting offer” will form one part. Requirement In line with this, the Department for Education (DfE) is seeking to engage with potential suppliers to share its early thinking, gain insight into the current market landscape for delivering an online parenting intervention and gather feedback to help shape the future delivery approach and inform potential procurement. The Department for Education is seeking a national, evidence-informed online parenting intervention to support families with children aged 0–5 across England, aiming to improve early childhood development and school readiness. The intervention should be accessible, inclusive, and scalable, offering high-quality digital support which can demonstrate positive impact on 3-4 year-old children’s socio-emotional / behavioural and/or communication outcomes, helping to achieve the 75% GLD milestone by 2028. For more information search for: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2 Important: This is a zero-value notice for early market engagement purposes only. It is not a call for competition and does not commit the Department to procuring, or procuring services in any specific way. Any future opportunities will be subject to budgetary decisions and the availability of funding. The DfE is keen to maximise opportunities to participate in procurement for Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Consideration will also be given to consortia and collaborative bids from all forms of organisations.