Latest news with #disadvantagedcommunities
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Phillipson: Family hubs will give parents freedom to focus on loving children
Family hubs offering support and youth services will give parents 'the freedom to focus on loving their children', Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said. The Government announced there will be a Best Start family hub in every local authority in England by April 2026, with £500 million targeted at disadvantaged communities. This comes alongside plans to offer £4,500 to specialist teachers, in a bid to attract staff to nurseries. Officials have also said that Ofsted will inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of them opening from next April, under the Best Start In Life strategy announced on Monday. The Education Secretary has said she wants to 'make sure every child has the chance to succeed', as ministers look to drive up quality and access in early education. In a statement to the Commons on Monday, Ms Phillipson said: 'We'll introduce a new Best Start Family Service delivered through Best Start family hubs, the first step to a national families service that ensures they can get the right support for their children from conception to age five, giving parents the freedom to focus on loving their children.' She added: 'Best Start family hubs will be open to all, rooted in disadvantaged communities. 'They will work with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary groups – a whole community coming together around one goal: to give children the best possible start in life. 'And Our Best Start digital service means we're ready for the future, linking families to their local Best Start Family Hub, and exploring how the power of AI (artificial intelligence) can help parents find the right information.' According to the Department for Education, some one in 10 nurseries have an early years teacher. The new incentive scheme of a government-funded and tax-free £4,500 payment will look to keep 3,000 more teachers in nurseries. These will be targeted in the 20 most disadvantaged communities, the department said. There will also be a shift towards Ofsted inspections every four years for early years providers, rather than the current six-year cycle. Officials have also said there will be more money to fund partnerships between nurseries and schools to make transition periods easier. The announcements have been welcomed by the sector, but one figure has said the 'devil will be in the detail'. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 'We're clear that this strategy will only work if it is backed up with the tangible support – financial or otherwise – that early years providers and other bodies and professionals need to build an early years system that works for all families. 'But after years of calling for a long-term vision for the early years, there's no doubt that this is a positive development, and we look forward to working with Government to turn vision into reality.' Sarah Ronan, director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, has described Monday's strategy as 'a turning point in how we value early education'. 'Change won't happen overnight but it starts today with a shared mission to give every child the best start in life,' she said. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said 'the rhetoric does not match the reality' because early-years providers were suffering from the impact of increased national insurance contributions (Nics). She told Ms Phillipson: 'Nurseries across the country are on the brink because of decisions her Government have made. 'While it is welcome that the Government has continued the roll out of our early years offer, the lack of compensation for the Nics increase is forcing providers to either hike fees or shut their doors. 'There is no use giving out incentive payments for jobs at nurseries if providers are closing because they've been clobbered with Nics.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nursery teachers in disadvantaged communities to be offered £4,500 incentive
Specialist teachers in disadvantaged communities will be offered £4,500 as part of Government plans to attract staff to nurseries. Officials have also said that Ofsted will inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of them opening from next April, under the Best Start In Life strategy announced on Monday. The Education Secretary has said she wants to 'make sure every child has the chance to succeed', as ministers look to drive up quality and access in early education. According to the Department for Education, some one in 10 nurseries have an early years teacher. The new incentive scheme of a government-funded and tax-free £4,500 payment will look to keep 3,000 more teachers in nurseries. These will be targeted in the 20 most disadvantaged communities, the department said. There will also be a shift towards Ofsted inspections every four years for early years providers, rather than the current six-year cycle. Officials have also said there will be more money to fund partnerships between nurseries and schools to make transition periods easier. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'My driving mission is to make sure every child has the chance to succeed no matter their background – and this new strategy will help give our youngest children the very best start in life. 'The best way of reducing inequalities is by tackling them early: that's why we're joining up family support services through our Best Start family hubs, driving up quality in our early years system and strengthening support for children as they enter primary school.' It comes after the Government announced that family hubs offering parenting support and youth services were set to be rolled out across every council in England. The Department for Education is putting £500 million targeted at disadvantaged communities into the scheme, to put a Best Start family hub in every local authority by April 2026. The announcements have been welcomed by the sector, but one figure has said the 'devil will be in the detail'. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 'We're clear that this strategy will only work if it is backed up with the tangible support – financial or otherwise – that early years providers and other bodies and professionals need to build an early years system that works for all families. 'But after years of calling for a long-term vision for the early years, there's no doubt that this is a positive development, and we look forward to working with Government to turn vision into reality.' Sarah Ronan, director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, has described Monday's strategy as 'a turning point in how we value early education'. 'Change won't happen overnight but it starts today with a shared mission to give every child the best start in life,' she said. The Conservatives have said that the Government's financial decisions have left families facing 'higher childcare costs'. Shadow education minister Neil O'Brien claimed that tax increases have 'left nurseries' across the country 'on the brink'. 'Labour's jobs tax is leaving providers with no choice but to hike fees or shut their doors. Families are being left to face higher childcare costs and fewer places.'
The Independent
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Family hubs to be rolled out across every council in England
Family hubs offering parenting support and youth services are set to be rolled out across every council in England, ministers have announced. The Department for Education is putting £500 million targeted at disadvantaged communities into the scheme, to put a Best Start family hub in every local authority by April 2026. The Education Secretary has said that the scheme will 'give a lifeline' to families. Family hubs were originally rolled out across 75 local authorities at the start of 2024 by the then-Conservative government. Officials say that the hubs will be rolled out in every local authority by April 2026, and there will be expanded so there are up to 1,000 of them by the end of 2028. Among the services available at the locations will be birth registration, debt advice, midwifery services and support for parents who are separating or have separated. Officials hope that the spaces will also provide families access to other services and social care. Bridget Phillipson 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. 'Making sure hard-working parents are able to benefit from more early help is a promise made, and promise kept – delivering a lifeline of consistent support across the nation, ensuring health, social care and education work in unison to ensure all children get the very best start in life.' The Conservatives have said that the announcement 'brings little clarity on what's genuinely new and what simply rebrands existing services'. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: 'That lack of clarity is part of a wider pattern. 'This is a Government defined by broken promises and endless U-turns.' Charity Save The Children has said it is 'pleased' to see the Government 'making it easier for families to get the help they need'. Dan Paskins, executive director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save The Children UK, said: 'Focusing on family services for the under-fives will be vital in securing better outcomes for children, and we welcome the Best Start In Life announcement. 'We know from our work in local communities that bringing together parenting, healthcare and education support services in one place is an approach which works, so we are pleased to see the UK Government making it easier for families to get the help they need. 'With ministers now demonstrating an increasingly ambitious plan for children in the UK, we hope this drive for change continues when the child poverty strategy is released in autumn. 'This must include scrapping the two-child limit to Universal Credit, which is the only meaningful way to reduce the UK's record child poverty rate.' The head of the NAHT union welcomed the move. General secretary Paul Whiteman said: 'This is a positive step forward towards ensuring all children get the best start – and we are pleased to see tangible investment following this week's announcement of new targets for school readiness.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Family hubs to be rolled out across every council in England
Family hubs offering parenting support and youth services are set to be rolled out across every council in England, ministers have announced. The Department for Education is putting £500 million targeted at disadvantaged communities into the scheme, to put a Best Start family hub in every local authority by April 2026. The Education Secretary has said that the scheme will 'give a lifeline' to families. Family hubs were originally rolled out across 75 local authorities at the start of 2024 by the then-Conservative government. Officials say that the hubs will be rolled out in every local authority by April 2026, and there will be expanded so there are up to 1,000 of them by the end of 2028. Among the services available at the locations will be birth registration, debt advice, midwifery services and support for parents who are separating or have separated. Officials hope that the spaces will also provide families access to other services and social care. Bridget Phillipson 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. 'Making sure hard-working parents are able to benefit from more early help is a promise made, and promise kept – delivering a lifeline of consistent support across the nation, ensuring health, social care and education work in unison to ensure all children get the very best start in life.' The Conservatives have said that the announcement 'brings little clarity on what's genuinely new and what simply rebrands existing services'. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: 'That lack of clarity is part of a wider pattern. 'This is a Government defined by broken promises and endless U-turns.' Charity Save The Children has said it is 'pleased' to see the Government 'making it easier for families to get the help they need'. Dan Paskins, executive director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save The Children UK, said: 'Focusing on family services for the under-fives will be vital in securing better outcomes for children, and we welcome the Best Start In Life announcement. 'We know from our work in local communities that bringing together parenting, healthcare and education support services in one place is an approach which works, so we are pleased to see the UK Government making it easier for families to get the help they need. 'With ministers now demonstrating an increasingly ambitious plan for children in the UK, we hope this drive for change continues when the child poverty strategy is released in autumn. 'This must include scrapping the two-child limit to Universal Credit, which is the only meaningful way to reduce the UK's record child poverty rate.' The head of the NAHT union welcomed the move. General secretary Paul Whiteman said: 'This is a positive step forward towards ensuring all children get the best start – and we are pleased to see tangible investment following this week's announcement of new targets for school readiness.'
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
People in disadvantaged areas face worse health outcomes than before, ESRI report finds
People living in disadvantaged communities in Ireland face worse health outcomes than they previously did, new research on barriers to social inclusion has found. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report, commissioned by Pobal and published on Tuesday, looks at how barriers to social inclusion have changed over time and whether disadvantaged communities are particularly adversely affected. The study used data from the Pobal HP Deprivation Index and the 2016 and 2022 Censuses. Some potential barriers to social inclusion have decreased between the two census years, such as the falling rates of unemployment and low educational attainment in deprived areas. READ MORE The study found the gap between unemployment rates in the most disadvantaged areas and the most affluent areas attenuated between 2016 and 2022, with the difference falling from 24 percentage points to 14 percentage points. [ Children in poorer areas far more likely to develop severe mental health difficulties, says professor Opens in new window ] The report's conclusions note, however, that 'while lower unemployment rates are positive, they do not necessarily translate into better living standards, particularly given rising costs of living and potential job quality concerns'. In contrast to this, the study finds a rise in poor health in the most deprived areas and worsening health outcomes for people living in disadvantaged communities. While the number of people reporting bad or very bad health has increased across all areas, the change is most pronounced in deprived regions. Looking at the results of the 2016 and 2022 censuses, there was an increase of 29 per cent in those in the most deprived areas reporting very bad health, compared to an increase of 22 per cent in the most affluent areas. 'This divergence may be due to long-term Covid-19 outcomes, as research has shown that the most deprived areas experienced greater health impacts, or it may be due to other health-related factors which were impacted by the pandemic. [ Education key to breaking link between poverty in childhood and later life, says ESRI report Opens in new window ] 'For example those in deprived areas with greater health needs pre-pandemic may have suffered disproportionately from the healthcare system pivoting from standard care to emergency pandemic protocols, which meant reduced clinics, operations, screenings etc,' the report stated. The study also found an increased prevalence of ethnic minorities, particularly in cities, while lone-parent households are also more common in urban areas and more deprived areas. Anna Shakespeare, chief executive of Pobal, said the findings 'reinforce the need for place-based policymaking in Ireland'. The study also 'reinforces the need to reflect on the health of the nation, and if this has changed post-pandemic. From the data, there is clear evidence of a widening health gap between the most and least disadvantaged communities. 'This raises important considerations for healthcare resourcing and allocation across the country in the coming years,' Ms Shakespeare said.
