LGA responds to Early Years Healthy Development Review

Responding to today’s publication of government advisor Andrea Leadsom’s Early Years Healthy Development Review on the experience of families during the first 1,001 days of their babies’ lives, Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“The importance of early intervention and prevention services for children and families cannot be overstated and this report rightly recognises the crucial support provided by councils.

“It is vital that next phase of the review builds on the work which councils have already done to bring services for the early years together and make them as accessible as possible.

“Councils know their communities best and want to strengthen the local initiatives and partnerships which they have already worked hard to establish in this space, including targeting resources at the most deprived areas despite limited resources.

“We are keen to work with Andrea Leadsom on the next phase of the review, however if this vision is to be realised it will need to be properly resourced. The Government needs to invest in early intervention and public health services, to enable councils to work more closely with the NHS, implement best practice and most importantly help give children the best start in life.”