Life for overwhelmed parents is set to get that bit easier as the government kicks off a new national campaign to help them cut through the bombardment of sometimes unreliable advice and false expectations online.

Best Start in Life brings together information, support, advice and guidance on everything from pregnancy, early health, education and childcare support through to starting and succeeding at school.

There’s already an online hub (https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/) and now the Labour Government is investing in local in-person hubs, including in Cambridgeshire.

Labour’s County Council spokesperson on Children and Young People, Bryony Goodliffe, said,

“Children growing up in Cambridgeshire, deserve the best start in life.

“That just wasn’t possible when the Conservatives scrapped family services here. Now, Labour is bringing those services back with a £231,692 investment for a new Best Start Family Hub in Cambridgeshire.

“I’ve been discussing this with Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and I’m so glad that Labour is helping to give local children the best start in life. Cambridgeshire has one of the higher grant awards announced this week and I’m determined to make sure that this money is spent wisely.

“The grant will be paid to Cambridgeshire County Council and in return the Council must identify at least one Best Start Family hub site by January so that services can be provided by April next year.

“I’ll be holding the County Council to account to open the Best Start in Life hubs in the areas of Cambridgeshire with families that need the most support.

“This week’s announcement builds on Labour’s work including free breakfast clubs, school-based nurseries, 30 hours of government-funded childcare, expanding free school meals, and securing the future of Holidays and Food (HAF) clubs.”

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said,

“It’s a 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.

“Making sure hard-working parents are able to benefit from 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 best start in life.”