Recommendations & Conclusions
26 items
1
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Acknowledged
Since last July, new and expectant parents have continued to face severe limits on the formal and informal support for their wellbeing and their child’s development that they would normally expect. Following a further 12 months of restrictions, the cohort of parents and children in need of catch-up support is …
Government response. The government acknowledges the concerns by detailing significant investments, including 26 new hubs for integrated care, specialist perinatal mental health services nationwide, expansion of Mother and Baby units, and £100 million for bespoke mental health support for new and expectant …
2
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
Support for new families is concentrated in the early months of a child’s life, but for many families this crucial time fell wholly within the extended period of restrictions. Ensuring new parents can now urgently access comprehensive support—including catching up on support they have missed out on since the start …
Government response. The government accepted the need for urgent comprehensive support by announcing 26 new integrated maternity hubs, expanding specialist perinatal mental health services, ensuring GP postnatal checks, increasing Mother and Baby unit capacity, and committing £100 million for bespoke mental health …
3
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We welcome the Government and NHS England’s planned programme of capacity- building for perinatal mental health services over the next 2–3 years. However, new parents are already experiencing the mental health impact of covid-19. Plans for long-term capacity-building must be adapted to meet new needs and should sit alongside more …
Government response. The government details new and existing investments, including £100 million for bespoke mental health support for new and expectant parents, and outlines the expansion of NHS perinatal mental health hubs and Mother and Baby units.
4
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We recommend that the Government provides additional funding and resources to bring forward the delivery of its perinatal mental health capacity-building programme. We also recommend that the Government fund primary healthcare services to invest in additional mental health catch-up services for new parents impacted by covid-19.
Government response. The government outlines significant new investment, including £100 million for bespoke mental health support for new and expectant parents, and details the expansion of NHS perinatal mental health hubs and Mother and Baby units.
5
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Deferred
Our inquiry last year heard compelling evidence on the crucial role of community support and parent and baby groups in supporting new parents’ wellbeing. The Government’s recognition of this in exempting such groups from some gathering restrictions last year was very welcome. However, the Government must now do more to …
Government response. The government will continue to review the need for guidance for community support group organisers on operating safely, acknowledging existing guidance for Ofsted-registered settings but noting no single body has complete oversight for all groups.
6
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Deferred
The Government should produce clear and dedicated guidance for organisers of community and charity-run support groups (including parent and baby groups) on how they can safely restart and continue classes in a covid-safe way. It should work with group organisers, local authorities and other relevant sector stakeholders to develop this …
Government response. The government states it will continue to review the need for specific guidance for community and charity-run support groups on operating in a Covid-safe way on a case-by-case basis.
7
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We remain concerned at the number of new parents reporting limited or no access to health visiting services over the period of the pandemic. Virtual checks were a necessary innovation during covid-19, but new parents and their children must now urgently receive in-person visits—ideally from a health visitor, but, if …
Government response. The government reiterates that every family should be offered five face-to-face health and wellbeing reviews by health visitors. It states that the Public Health Grant for local authorities will be maintained in real terms, enabling investment in services, but does …
8
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
In order to support parents who have missed health visiting checks, we recommend that the Government provide additional funding to local authorities to enable in- person visits to new parents by appropriate local authority, voluntary organisation, or health visiting staff, to be delivered by the end of the year.
Government response. The government states that the Public Health Grant will be maintained in real terms, enabling local authorities to invest in child health visits and existing health visitor services which are already designed to be face-to-face where necessary. They also point …
9
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Acknowledged
We welcome the Government’s confirmation of the increased Adoption Support Fund budget for 2021–22. We agree with our witnesses that long-term funding for this initiative should be made available, as part of comprehensive and ongoing support for adoptive parents to overcome the challenges they have faced during covid-19.
Government response. The government states that the Adoption Strategy includes proposals for improving adoption services, and an evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund's expanded scope was published. The findings from this evaluation and a wider internal review will be considered in future …
10
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We recommend that the Government conduct a review of the services funded under the Adoption Support Fund’s expanded scope in 2020–21, to consider which of the services temporarily offered in response to covid-19 should continue to be in scope for the Fund in future, or even scaled up and offered …
Government response. The government states that an evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund's expanded scope in 2020-21 was published on 20 October 2021, aligning with the recommendation for a review. Findings from this evaluation and a wider internal review will inform future …
11
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
Despite existing guidance on protecting vulnerable workers on the Health and Safety Executive website and Working Safely guidance on GOV.UK, many pregnant women still report health and safety concerns at work. Adhering to this guidance should not be seen by employers as optional and there is a need to intensify …
Government response. The government states existing health and safety protections for pregnant workers are in place and that HSE does record all breaches of health and safety where enforcement action is taken. They refute the claim of not recording specific breaches for …
12
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Not Addressed
We recommend that the Government urgently engage with the Health and Safety Executive and relevant stakeholder groups to review HSE’s monitoring and enforcement activity specifically relating to employers’ health and safety obligations to pregnant women. Any barriers to at-scale enforcement of these obligations must be quickly resolved, to ensure that …
Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation concerning the review of HSE's health and safety monitoring and enforcement for pregnant women or the requirement for HSE to record and publish related enforcement details. Instead, it discussed planned extensions of …
13
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We welcome the Government’s commitments to tackling workplace discrimination against new and expectant mothers and the actions it is taking to better understand this issue. We echo witnesses’ dismay at the apparent failure of current employment law and the tribunal system to prevent potentially discriminatory redundancies among new and expectant …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation and commits to extending redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers. This includes applying protection from pregnancy notification, extending it for six months after returning to work, and extending it for those on adoption or …
14
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Not Addressed
We echo our recommendation from last year’s report that the Government should legislate as soon as possible to introduce its planned extension of redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers. It must clarify a timeframe for doing this, and, if there is not sufficient parliamentary time to consider a full …
Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation to legislate urgently for extended redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers or provide a timeframe. Instead, it stated that the government is considering extending the time limit for bringing Equality Act …
15
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Not Addressed
We also repeat our previous recommendation that the Government should extend the period in which new and expectant parents may bring claims to an employment tribunal. The Government must urgently conclude its work to consider this change and clarify when and how it will be implemented. (Paragraph 51) Childcare accessibility …
Government response. The government's response focuses on current childcare provision, funding, and parental leave rights, without addressing the recommendation to extend the period for new and expectant parents to bring claims to an employment tribunal.
16
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
Despite childcare settings being allowed to remain open since summer 2020, levels of activity remain below pre-pandemic levels. We welcome the steps taken by the Government to support the sector financially during covid-19, but this has not prevented many providers seeing a significant impact on their finances. With ongoing uncertainty …
Government response. The government details over £3.5 billion spent annually on early education entitlements, plus an additional £510 million over three years for early years entitlements. They also outline existing support through Universal Credit and Tax-Free Childcare, aiming to provide long-term support …
17
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
New parents continue to struggle to access the childcare they need to effectively re-enter the workforce on the terms they want. While covid-19 has exacerbated this challenge, the high cost of paid-for childcare is a barrier which both predates covid-19 and will outlast it. More could be done to ensure …
Government response. The government acknowledges the challenges of childcare costs by outlining existing support through Universal Credit and Tax-Free Childcare, and committing significant additional funding of over £500 million for early years entitlements over the next three years to increase hourly rates …
18
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Not Addressed
We support the call of petitioners for an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. We recommend that the Government should commission such a review, to consider how to provide greater financial security to the sector following the pandemic, as well as consulting with parents on how to ensure childcare …
Government response. The government did not commit to commissioning an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. Instead, they highlighted a new £500 million investment package for families and early years, detailing specific allocations for mental health support, Family Hubs, and staff …
19
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
We welcome the long-term vision of the Government’s Best Start for Life review, but to date covid-19 recovery funding aimed at children aged under 2 appears to Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on 29 have been unjustifiably neglected compared to the funding made available for older children. …
Government response. The government accepted the recommendation to invest proportionately by announcing a £500 million families and early years support package for the next three years, including £100 million for parental mental health, £82 million for Family Hubs, and £10 million for …
20
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Not Addressed
Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of the Best Start for Life Review’s implementation could be accelerated—in particular, opportunities to grow the health visiting workforce—and provide targeted funding to help achieve this.
Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation to assess and accelerate elements of the Best Start for Life Review implementation, particularly growing the health visiting workforce and providing targeted funding. Instead, it focused on the importance and safety of …
21
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Acknowledged
We welcome the steps taken by the Government and the NHS to provide pregnant women with relevant information as the vaccine rollout continues and as social restrictions are eased. It is vital these efforts are maintained so that pregnant women are effectively supported to protect themselves from covid-19. In particular, …
Government response. The government acknowledged the committee's welcome for their vaccination efforts by reiterating the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women, detailing various communication and awareness campaigns, and confirming that pregnant women are now a priority group for vaccination.
22
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
The Government should continue to work with health authorities to communicate information about pregnancy and covid-19, including vaccine safety and emerging data on the risks of covid-19 when pregnant, to support informed decisions by pregnant women.
Government response. The government details multiple ongoing initiatives to communicate information about pregnancy and COVID-19, including vaccine safety, to support informed decisions by pregnant women. These include letters to healthcare services, media appearances by medical officials, sharing case stories, publishing new data, …
23
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Rejected
We are disappointed that the Government is yet to act to resolve inconsistencies in the availability or treatment of parental leave and pay entitlements for groups including self-employed adoptive parents, special guardians, and recipients of Maternity Allowance on Universal Credit, despite our report last year highlighting the financial and other …
Government response. The government explains its focus on employed parents and notes that local authorities can consider discretionary payments for self-employed adopters. However, they explicitly state they have no plans to change how Maternity Allowance is treated in Universal Credit, citing a …
24
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Rejected
We restate our recommendations from last year, that the treatment of Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay in Universal Credit should be equalised; that parental benefits available to self-employed birth parents should be extended to self-employed adoptive parents; and that parental leave and pay should be offered to special guardians. …
Government response. The government rejects equalising Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay in Universal Credit, stating it has no plans to change the current treatment, and outlines existing support mechanisms for self-employed adoptive parents without extending parental benefits.
25
Conclusion
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted
The Government’s response to our report last year failed to acknowledge the need for urgent action to support new parents, rejecting almost all of our recommendations. One year on, many of the concerns we raised remain live issues. While the enormous demands of managing the nation’s response to the pandemic …
Government response. The government will not develop an isolated strategy for new parents, but instead integrate learning from all parents into a broader package of support. They announced £500 million of new funding for families and early years, including specific allocations for …
26
Recommendation
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n…
Accepted in Part
Given the multifaceted impact the pandemic has had on new parents, and to ensure their needs are specifically considered going forward, the Government should publish a covid-19 recovery strategy for new parents alongside its response to this report, and 30 Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on should …
Government response. The government rejects developing an isolated COVID-19 recovery strategy for new parents but commits to integrating learning into a broader package of support for families, backed by £500 million in funding and various programmes.