I have been contacted by constituents about Giving Babies The Best Start In Life.
As the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South, I have included below my response:
The 1,001 critical days, from conception to age 2, are a unique and important period for a baby that set the foundations for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing. That is why I firmly believe that mothers, babies and their families must be given the support they need to ensure that the baby gets the best start in life.
I welcome the Government's "Best start for life" vision. Developed as part of the early years healthy development review, the report outlines six areas for action to improve the health outcomes of all babies in England, ensuring they get the best start in life. I know that this Government is already working to implement the identified areas for action.
I am delighted that in the 2021 Spending Review £201 million was committed to transform Start for Life and family help services by creating a network of Family Hubs, investing in infant and parent mental health, breastfeeding support, parenting programmes and expanding the Supporting Families programme. Collectively, this will deliver on the recommendations set out in the Best for Life vision and ensure that every new parent and carer is able to access compassionate and timely mental health support, appropriate digital, virtual and telephone services and access to NHS-branded online information.
Whilst I was unable to attend the debate on giving every baby the best start in life, I was very interested to learn more from my ministerial colleagues about the progress in implementing this important vision!
