Community hails landmark Early Years reform and investment

• The creation of 1,000 new Best Start Family Hubs, building on the legacy of Sure Start by creating dedicated one-stop shops for parents seeking a range of support, including on difficulties breastfeeding; children’s early development and language; domestic abuse support services; and housing, debt, or mental health issues. The new hubs will cover areas without access to existing Family Hubs.

• Financial incentives for early years teachers to work in the most disadvantaged communities to attract highly-qualified educators to where they are needed most.

• Investment in support available for children with SEND within the early years, improving inclusion and developing earlier intervention to prevent the escalation of needs.

The plan also contains a commitment to raising the status of early years educators, including through working with the sector to co-design and introduce a new professional register for the sector with clear paths for career progression.

Helen Osgood, Community’s National Secretary for Education and Early Years, said:

“This is a landmark moment for the early years sector, and the £1.5 billion of investment the government has pledged over the next three years will help rebuild a system under strain. The previous Conservative government’s underfunding and neglect of the sector – typified by their decision to cut Sure Start centres across England – was short-sighted and caused lasting damage.

“We now have a Labour government that is ambitious for the sector, and is willing to put right the mistakes made after 2010. New Best Start Family Hubs will bring the transformative benefits of Sure Start to a new generation of children and families, especially in the most disadvantaged communities which have been left behind for far too long. We look forward to working with the government on the delivery of this generational programme of reform and investment.”

Letitia McCalla, Community’s Early Years lead, said:

“The planned investment in the early years system the government have laid out this week will make an enormous difference to our members on the frontline, as well as the children and families they support every day.

“Just as important for our members is this government’s commitment to give early years workers a more professional footing – this is something we have campaigned on over many years, including through our Early Years Charter. The government has rightly identified that more needs to be done to ensure that a career in the early years sector is a rewarding one, with clear opportunities for progression and professional development.”

Martin Hodge, Head of Education Policy at Community, said:

“The closure of Sure Start centres across England under the previous Tory government was a political choice which set back opportunities for millions of children. With the creation of a thousand new Best Start Family Hubs, this Labour government is repairing the damage caused and creating a new legacy of strong family support services.

“The investment in and recognition of the early years workforce is also hugely welcome – Community has long made the argument that Early Years staff are educators, not babysitters, and we now have a government that understands this and wants to work with us to drive up standards and professionalism in the sector.”