What do these new directions cover?
The recently released Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies Guidance (April 2026–2029) provides direction for local authorities and wider services regarding an integrated system for family support.
Within these documents, The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care outline a core purpose for inclusive support, outreach opportunities, and digital pathways.
With a commitment to inclusive and easily accessible help (‘no wrong door’), the guidance centres on infant feeding support, perinatal mental health and parent–infant relationship services. Within this support, expectations of services for delivery from local authorities include support for:
- Parenting and home learning
- Support for children with additional needs
- Integrated, multidisciplinary pathways
What is good about this focus and what needs greater attention?
The focus on the importance of the first 1001 days shines a light on support needed for infants and families to thrive. This guidance is welcome, with a commitment to services for families, and support offered in a variety of ways for meeting the different needs and circumstances of families. The fundamental importance of peer support for parents is also outlined with recognition of how parents with lived experience can support one another in a non-judgemental way, which we know is an essential component of meaningful support.
Some questions do remain however, particularly regarding provision for workforce challenges, adequate funding and overall sustainability. Evidence-based parenting programmes outlined in the ‘menu of interventions’ identify structured support for ‘parenting and home learning environments’. Such programmes can come with a licence purchasing fee, raising questions about affordability and consistency of provision across the country, particularly given a historic trend in cuts to early childhood services.
The programmes outlined in the menu are defined as
- Having strong evidence of improving parent–child relationships, parenting skills, or child outcomes.
- Uses trained facilitators, structured sessions, and a fidelity framework for consistent delivery.
- Is accessible, practical, and often suitable for group delivery or outreach.
The concept of an intervention ‘menu’ does also raise further questions about a ‘recipe’ approach to parenting support. Whilst helpful for services to be able to access a clear outline of support options, it is important that this comes from a family centred position, with a clear rationale to why a specific intervention suits the needs of a family and can be adapted to ensure ethical, flexible and contextually sensitive support. Whilst consistency and ‘fidelity’ is crucial, we know that the rolling out of an imposed, one size fits all approach to parenting support can lead to increased stigma and a reluctance to engage with services.
As highlighted in the guidance and in research regarding infant and family mental health and wellbeing, support for families requires facilitation from appropriately qualified practitioners. As this commitment and focus on high quality support for children and families is disseminated through the detail provided in the ‘Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance (April 2026–2029)’, higher education institutions have an important role in ensuring undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that support this developing workforce.
How the University can address these challenges
The Master of Arts in Infant and Family Mental Health and Wellbeing at the University of Northampton addresses this need for highly skilled and critically reflective professionals in the evolving landscape of support for infants and families. This course aligns with National and International initiatives, emphasising early, respectful, and individualised support for families.
At its core, this postgraduate qualification is about the importance of hearing from families. It recognises that all families need help at times but that the best support comes from working together. Co-produced support that is developed through meaningful and context specific approaches can make the difference for supporting the best start in life for infants and families.
Students join the MA from various professional backgrounds, including nursing, midwifery, social work, health visiting, early childhood and education to explore contemporary debates and critical consideration of the promotion of infant and family mental health and wellbeing.
This diversity fosters strong inter-professional, multi-disciplinary, and collaborative learning. The curriculum is delivered by leading academics and professionals ensuring a comprehensive postgraduate experience, with current research and the critical exploration of current policy and practice at its core. The course offers opportunities for professional growth, reflexivity, and alignment with best practices in the field, complementing many of the important messages embedded into the Best Start Family Hub and Healthy Babies Guidance.
