Nottinghamshire will receive a new development grant this financial year to help prepare for the launch of the Government’s Best Start family service – a national programme backed by over £500 million to improve early years education, care and family support.
James Naish, MP for Rushcliffe, has welcomed this targeted investment which will allow local authorities like Nottinghamshire – which hasn’t previously received ‘Family Hubs’ or ‘Start for Life’ funding – to get vital support services up and running quickly from April 2026.
Up to 1,000 local hubs will be created across the country by the end of 2028. The hubs will act as a ‘one-stop shop’ for families from pregnancy, through the early years, and beyond.
James said: “This scheme, which echoes the last Labour government’s Sure Start initiative, is welcome news for Nottinghamshire families. We know that children who had access to Sure Start centres were more likely to achieve better GCSE results and had improved health outcomes.
“Following this confirmation of funding, Nottinghamshire MPs will be able to work with local services to help babies and young children get the best possible start in life. I’m keen to work with local partners across the county over the next few months to ensure we’re ready to make the most of this funding.”
The development grant comes as part of the government’s new early years strategy ‘Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life’ which outlines a long-term vision to strengthen family services and improve outcomes for children, with a national target for 75% of children to start school ‘ready to learn’ by 2028.
As part of this effort, the Best Start family service will:
- Create a new network of Best Start family hubs, bringing together health and education support from pregnancy through to age five.
- Offer trusted advice and connect families with local services all in one place.
- Provide targeted support for families from lower-income backgrounds and those with additional vulnerabilities.
James added: “We’re rebuilding support for families from the ground up, with a joined-up service that helps with everything from early language to parental wellbeing. Healthier, more confident children are better able to learn, and this strategy will help close gaps long before they open.”
This announcement builds on wider changes to childcare policy including:
- Up to 30 hours of funded childcare for working parents from September, saving up to £7,500 per child per year.
- An extra £2 billion in early years funding, taking total government investment to over £8 billion a year.
- The first 300 school-based nurseries opening from September.
- A free breakfast club pilot taking place in Normanton-on-Soar.
- A major uplift to the early years pupil premium – up by over 45% – to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- An expansion of Maths Champions, Stronger Practice Hubs and the Nuffield Early Language Intervention.
James commented: “This is a landmark moment for childcare in our country. The government inherited an underfunded pledge with no plan but through these changes, we aim to ease the cost of living for families, boost access to work and improve children’s life chances.”
The Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, said: “It’s the driving mission of this government to break the link between a child’s background and what they go on to achieve – our new Best Start family hubs will put the first building blocks of better life chances in place for more children.
“I saw firsthand how initiatives like Sure Start helped level the playing field in my own community, transforming the lives of children by putting in place family support in the earliest years of life, and as part of our Plan for Change, we’re building on its legacy for the next generation of children.”
