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Select Committee · Health and Social Care Committee

The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus

Status: Open Opened: 21 Mar 2025 18 recommendations 8 conclusions 1 report

The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age two, are widely recognised as a critical period for child development, shaping long-term health, well-being, and life outcomes.The previous Committee examined this period in its 2019 First 1000 days of life inquiryconsidering national strategy, current spending and barriers to investment and local provision. Since then, … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - First 1000 days: a renewed focus HC 802 22 Jan 2026 26 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
3 Recommendation 5th Report - First 1000 days: a renewed… Deferred

Create dedicated roles to support parents of children from all disadvantaged groups.

Successive governments have rightly focused on targeting Family Hubs and other early year interventions on those with the greatest need. We welcome the announcement that Hubs will have staff specifically trained to support the parents of children with additional needs navigate the service. We recommend that Government consider creating similar … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of supporting all families and highlights existing funding for family-facing practitioners in Family Hubs for children with additional needs. It states that local authorities are expected to develop outreach strategies for other underserved groups and that the government will continue …
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Department of Health and Social Care
5 Recommendation 5th Report - First 1000 days: a renewed… Deferred

Set actions to improve perinatal mental health access within Family Hubs for ethnic minority women.

The Government should set out what actions it will take to improve access to perinatal mental health care within Family Hubs, supported by specific targets to improve access for women from ethnic minority backgrounds who have disproportionately poorer mental health outcomes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) Read more

Government response AI summary
The government defers specific actions and targets for improving access to perinatal mental health care within Family Hubs to forthcoming long-term strategies, including the 10 Year Workforce Plan and a professional strategy for nursing and midwifery due in spring 2026. It explicitly states it cannot …
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Department of Health and Social Care

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
3 Sep 2025 Ashley Dalton MP · Department of Health and Social Care, Liz Ketch · Department of Health and Social Care, Susie Owen · Department for Education View ↗
2 Jul 2025 Anna Bird · Disabled Children's Partnership, Dr Amit Aggarwal · Medical Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, Dr Claire Fuller · NHS England, Dr Doug Simkiss · Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Helen Skirrow · Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, Dr Helen Stewart · The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Sally Payne · Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Jane Harris · Speech and Language UK, Janet Cooper · Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists View ↗
4 Jun 2025 Alison Morton · Institute of Health Visiting, Dr Christine Farquharson · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Rachel Roberts · Hull City Council, Rukshana Kapasi · Barnardos View ↗
7 May 2025 Professor Sir Michael Marmot · University College London (UCL), Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE · Early Years Healthy Development Review View ↗

Who gave evidence

18 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alison Morton · CEO Institute of Health Visiting 1
Anna Bird · Chair Disabled Children's Partnership 1
Ashley Dalton MP · Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public… Department of Health and Social Care 1
Dr Amit Aggarwal · Executive Director Medical Affairs and Strategic Partnerships 1
Dr Christine Farquharson · Associate Director Institute for Fiscal Studies 1
Dr Claire Fuller · National Medical Director NHS England 1
Dr Doug Simkiss · Chair of the British Association for Community Pa… Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 1
Dr Helen Skirrow · Clinical Research Fellow Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London 1
Dr Helen Stewart · Officer for Health Improvement The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 1
Dr Sally Payne · Professional Adviser for Children, Young People a… Royal College of Occupational Therapists 1
Jane Harris · CEO Speech and Language UK 1
Janet Cooper · Expert Adviser Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists 1
Liz Ketch · Director for Early Years, Children & Families Department of Health and Social Care 1
Professor Sir Michael Marmot · Director of the Institute of Health Equity and Pr… University College London (UCL) 1
Rachel Roberts · Strategic Lead for Early Help and Prevention, Chi… Hull City Council 1
Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE · Chair Early Years Healthy Development Review 1
Rukshana Kapasi · Director of Health Barnardos 1
Susie Owen · Director of Early Years, Childcare, Families and … Department for Education 1

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
28 Apr 2026 — Correspondence from Minister Hodgson - First 1000 Days Response
15 Oct 2025 — Correspondence from Minister Dalton re First 1000 days evidence session
2 Jul 2025 — Correspondence from Minister Daby re the First 1000 Days