The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus

Health and Social Care Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 21 Mar 2025 Parliament page
The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age two, are widely recognised as a critical period for child development, shaping long-term health, well-being, and life outcomes.The previous Committee examined this period in its 2019 First 1000 days of life inquiryconsidering national strategy, current spending and barriers to investment … Read more
18 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
3 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
28 Apr
2026
Correspondence
22 Apr
2026
Report published
22 Jan
2026
Report published
15 Oct
2025
Correspondence
3 Sep
2025
Oral evidence
2 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
2 Jul
2025
Correspondence
4 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
7 May
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
3 Sep 2025
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Oral Evidence
Ashley Dalton MP · Department of Health and Social Care Liz Ketch · Department of Health and Social Care Susie Owen · Department for Education
2 Jul 2025
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Oral Evidence
Anna Bird · Disabled Children's Partnership Dr Amit Aggarwal · Medical Affairs and Strategic Partnerships Dr Claire Fuller · NHS England Dr Doug Simkiss · Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Helen Skirrow · Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London Dr Helen Stewart · The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Sally Payne · Royal College of Occupational Therapists Jane Harris · Speech and Language UK Janet Cooper · Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
4 Jun 2025
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Oral Evidence
Alison Morton · Institute of Health Visiting Dr Christine Farquharson · Institute for Fiscal Studies Rachel Roberts · Hull City Council Rukshana Kapasi · Barnardos
7 May 2025
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Oral Evidence
Professor Sir Michael Marmot · University College London (UCL) Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE · Early Years Healthy Development Review
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - First 1000 days: a renewed focus HC 802 22 Jan 2026 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
Clear
3 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - First 1000 days: a re…
Create dedicated roles to support parents of children from all disadvantaged groups.
Successive governments have rightly focused on targeting Family Hubs and other early year interventions on those with the greatest need. We welcome the announcement that Hubs will have staff specifically trained to support the parents of children with additional needs … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of supporting all families and highlights existing funding for family-facing practitioners in Family Hubs for children with additional needs. It states that local authorities are expected to develop outreach strategies for other underserved groups and that the government will continue to consider how best to support families from all disadvantaged backgrounds as the programme develops.
Department of Health and Social Care
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5 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - First 1000 days: a re…
Set actions to improve perinatal mental health access within Family Hubs for ethnic minority women.
The Government should set out what actions it will take to improve access to perinatal mental health care within Family Hubs, supported by specific targets to improve access for women from ethnic minority backgrounds who have disproportionately poorer mental health … Read more
Government Response
The government defers specific actions and targets for improving access to perinatal mental health care within Family Hubs to forthcoming long-term strategies, including the 10 Year Workforce Plan and a professional strategy for nursing and midwifery due in spring 2026. It explicitly states it cannot commit to specific numbers at this stage.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 18 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 5
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 6
Rejected 3
Total 18 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
28 Apr 2026 Correspondence from Minister Hodgson - First 1000 Days Response
Parliament page
15 Oct 2025 Correspondence from Minister Dalton re First 1000 days evidence session
Parliament page
2 Jul 2025 Correspondence from Minister Daby re the First 1000 Days
Parliament page