Our 70/30 Campaign priorities: the first 1001 days of life

We campaign on a range of issues, including trauma-informed practice and the establishment of Trauma-informed Communities. But we know that working to ensure children have the best start in life is the best way to prevent early life adverse experiences in the first place. Our nine campaign priorities reflect this reality. They were established by the Building Great Britons (2015) report, published by the First 1001 Days All Part Parliamentary Group and which WAVE Trust contributed to.

 Become an ambassador

 

We call on Government to:

Increase Early Years Funding

National government should establish a ‘1001-days’ strategy fund to support local authorities and CCGs to make a decisive switch over the next 5 years, to a primary preventive approach in the first 1001 days. Practical support should also be provided, including the measures of success.

Appoint a senior Minister for Families and Best Start in Life

National Government should appoint a Minister for Families and Best Start in Life with cross-departmental responsibility, drawing together all relevant departmental ministers, with a remit to draw up a ‘1001-days’ strategy Masterplan. The Minister should either be in the Cabinet or reporting directly to Cabinet.

Regulate to prioritise prevention in Early Years

Building on the ‘Early Help’ recommendations of the Munro Review, National Government should require and support all relevant agencies in prevention to work together to prevent child maltreatment and promote secure attachment.

Prioritise the production of relevant data

Research evidence and good local area data are necessary to ensure effective changes are implemented to services. Where data and evidence are not available, these should be prioritised and supported with appropriate funding.

 

We call on health and local Government to:

Develop local ‘First 1001 days Start of Life’ plans

Local authorities, CCGs and Health & Wellbeing Boards should prioritise all factors leading to the development of socially and emotionally capable children at age 2, by: adopting and implementing a ‘1001-days’ strategy and showing how they intend to implement it in collaboration with their partner agencies, within 5 years. The ‘1001-days’ strategies should be based on primary preventive principles, with particular emphasis on fostering mental/emotional wellbeing and secure attachment and preventing child maltreatment.

Establish family hubs

Family Hubs should become a central source of support for families in the early years with access to multi-agency teams and multiple on-site services including health visiting, GP services, housing, finance, parenting classes, birth registration, library and other community services.

Ensure a primary prevention approach is adopted

Hold Health & Wellbeing Boards responsible for ensuring that local authorities and CCGs demonstrate delivery of a sound primary prevention approach as outlined in Part II of this report. Promote the delivery of this through establishing scorecards (similar to Adoption Scorecards) and a joined up multi-agency inspection framework which combines CQC and OFSTED.

 

We call on all political parties to:

Commit to the first 1001 days of life

Achieving the very best experience for children in their first 1001 days should be a mainstream undertaking by all political parties and a key priority for NHS England. Recognising its influence on the nature of our future society, the priority given to the first 1001 days should be elevated to the same level as Defence of the Realm.

 

We call on professional bodies to:

Make early years training mandatory

Professional bodies responsible for the children’s workforce must make joint inter-agency training on the importance of the early years for social and emotional development, mandatory for all professionals working with children and families in the early years, a priority.