government will use the introduction of the framework to drive improved integration across the early years landscape. The government should set out clearly who holds ministerial responsibility for the shared outcomes framework in both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education and what further steps they will take to promote cross-departmental working. The government welcomes the committee’s recognition of the importance of a shared outcomes framework and notes the recommendation regarding implementation planning and ministerial accountability. On 9 February 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the LOF, which signals the priority outcomes that the government expects local authorities, working with local partners, to deliver over the 3-year Spending Review period. One of these priority outcomes is ‘Best Start in Life - Improve early child development and health through improved family support and high-quality early education to give children in every part of the country the best start in life.’ The LOF contains several metrics relating to children’s health and wellbeing across ages, including the: • proportions of children achieving a good level of development at 2 to 2-and-a-half and at 5 • percentage of 5-year-olds with experience of visually obvious dental decay • rate of children looked after per 10,000 children In 2026, DHSC will deliver a new improved Public Health Peer Review and External Support and Improvement Offer for local authorities through regional public health teams. This new support offer will help local government achieve more from public health funding and deliver on the local and national public health priorities, including but not limited to those included in the LOF. Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies is delivered in partnership by DfE and DHSC. The departments continue to work closely together on the design and delivery of family services, including through the development of the Best Start in Life strategy and the ongoing Healthy Babies programme. The government is committed to exploring whether a more detailed national outcomes framework, based on lessons from Every Child Matters, would improve join up of services locally. Children’s outcomes are a shared and collective responsibility, and isolated services will not transform life chances. As set out in our schools white paper, we will create a new model of local partnership and shared accountability for children’s outcomes across local communities. Our aim is to enable the conditions that allow a sense of collective endeavour and responsibility, binding local government, schools and trusts, integrated care boards, the police and other local stakeholders around the aim of delivering shared outcomes for children and young people. E03558533 978-1-5286-6279-6