Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Best Start for Life Policy Paper

Thursday 9 March 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Andrea Leadsom inquired about the Church of England's support for family hubs and the "Best start for life" policy paper.
  • The Church of England is actively involved in the expansion of family hubs and supports many of the policy paper's recommendations.
  • Barry Sheerman welcomed the new Bishop of Huddersfield and noted her interest in family hubs, which she helped create.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrea Leadsom Con
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The Church of England is expected to play a significant role in supporting the roll-out of family hubs and other policies outlined in the Department of Health and Social Care policy paper entitled “Best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days”. This document was published on 25 March 2021.

Question

What steps is the Church of England taking to help support the roll-out of (a) family hubs and (b) the other policies in the Department of Health and Social Care policy paper entitled “Best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days”, published on 25 March 2021?

Answer from Andrew Selous

My right hon. Friend is a tireless campaigner for families and young children. The Church strongly supports family hubs and their further expansion. The Church is already supporting many of the “Best start for life” recommendations through our messy church and toddler groups, and the Archbishops' commission on families and households will report next month.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps or concrete commitments from the Church to support family hubs and 'Best start for life' policies beyond mentioning current activities and future reporting.

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Q2 Andrea Leadsom Con
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The Government's family hub and best start for life programme requires cooperation between local authorities, charities, faith groups, volunteers, and other sectors to deliver support services. The Church of England is expected to play a crucial role in this collaborative effort.

Question

Is my hon. Friend aware that the 75 local authority areas in England taking part in the Government's family hub and best start for life programme are required to work with not just the public sector, but charities, faith groups and volunteers, to roll out the support services to give every baby the best start for life? Can he tell us what connections there are between the Church and those local authority areas to make that a reality?

Answer from Andrew Selous

I am delighted to hear what my right hon. Friend says. I can tell her that the Church works commission chaired by the Bishop of Durham includes 15 major denominations and is working very closely with the National Centre for Family Hubs. Churches are already involved in delivering 18 out of the 24 areas for delivery, and the key to that is good local authority joint working. I am pleased to say that there is lots of momentum—long may that continue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on connections between the Church and individual local authority areas but provided general information about ongoing efforts.

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Q3 Barry Sheerman Lab
Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

The announcement of a new Bishop for Huddersfield suggests an opportunity to discuss the Church's involvement in local initiatives such as family hubs. The Bishop is expected to contribute significantly to these efforts.

Question

Will the hon. Gentleman join me in welcoming the new Bishop of Huddersfield, announced yesterday? We will give her a very good welcome in Huddersfield. Those family hubs are something that she is very keen on, because she was part of their creation.

Answer from Andrew Selous

I am delighted to welcome the new Bishop of Huddersfield, and I am equally delighted that she is keen on family hubs. She will have a crucial role to play in making sure they succeed in the hon. Gentleman's area.

Not addressed: Did not provide any specific commitments or concrete details regarding the new Bishop's role or support for family hubs beyond expressing enthusiasm and goodwill.

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