England to expand Healthy Babies programme to all local authorities

The UK government said it will expand its Healthy Babies programme to every Best Start family hub in England, extending support to all local authorities. The programme follows Sure Start principles and is intended to bring family support together with early-years and health services.

Parents will get enhanced infant-feeding and mental-health support, help to form strong relationships with their babies, and access to health visitors and midwives. The government said services will be available at more than 1,000 hubs by 2028. It said more than half of local authorities currently have hubs without Healthy Babies services, meaning families cannot always access integrated health, early-years development and family support in one place.