Campaign victory as Best Start Family Hub to open in Erith as part of family support revolution
Families in Erith and Thamesmead will be able to save money on services including free stay and play sessions for babies and young children, as Abena Oppong-Asare MP’s campaign secured the return of Sure Start-style services to their constituency, with a Best Start Family Hubs to open and help local families with the cost of living.
Parents will be able to access help with infant feeding, parenting advice and early support for children with SEND, in one place, reducing the need to pay for private classes or specialist support.
Having been elected on a manifesto to transform life chances by improving children’s start in life, Abena Oppong-Asare called on the Labour government to ‘rebuild’ Sure Start style services in Erith and Thamesmead – an area lacking in any government-funded provision following cuts to services following the election of the Conservatives in 2010. That left thousands of parents cut off from vital community support networks and specialist services – left to navigate the challenges of parenthood alone – as well as a devastating impact on children’s life chances, with early development, wellbeing and future attainment all in jeopardy.
The new Best Start Family Hub forms part of Labour’s wider efforts to make family life easier for those with younger children, including publishing new evidence-backed guidance on screen time this week in response to parents’ calls for support.
Bexley was one of 65 areas across the country left without government-funded family support.
Now, thanks to the work of local Labour MP, West Street Best Start Family Hub becomes one of over 200 new Best Start Family Hubs now opening to families, as Labour delivers on its pledge to ensure there is a hub in every council area. These form the first wave of up to 1,000 hubs across all local authorities by 2028.
New guidance sets out Labour’s plans to bring services families rely on together under one roof, making it easier to get help at the right time – reimagining Sure Start for the modern age through a more joined-up system of support.
Labour is also making a new commitment to deliver up to 2,000 satellite locations by 2028 – based in health centres, leisure centres, libraries and churches – so families experience seamless support in the places they already go.
The programme builds on the legacy of Sure Start, while updating family services for the modern world – combining face-to-face and digital support, strong partnerships with early years settings, and better use of existing community partners and spaces.
MP for Erith and Thamesmead, Abena Oppong-Asare said:
“I’m so pleased that my campaign to bring back family services to Erith and Thamesmead has been a success, helping to give local children the best start in life.
“This is the difference a Labour MP working with a Labour government can do for children and families in our area.
“This Best Start Family Hub will be transformative – alongside free breakfast clubs and government-funded childcare, we are showing this government is on the side of families in Erith and Thamesmead.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“Children growing up in our country deserve the best start in life, but for too long, too many families have been navigating the pressures of parenthood without the support they need.
“Best Start Family Hubs will revitalise family services – bringing together health, parenting support and practical advice in one place, free and close to home, so that parents can get the help they need, when they need it.
“I’ve seen the difference Sure Start made in my community, and why it’s so important that we bring that support back today, reimagined for a new generation of families.”
“Whether it’s advice on child development, help with additional needs, or simply a friendly face in the community, this government is putting the support so many families used to rely on, back into each and every community.”
The new Best Start Family Hubs are backed by £900m of investment over the next three years – including half a billion to deliver hubs nationwide, £200 million for the Healthy Babies services, and a further £200 million to fund SEND practitioners in every hub.
Erith and Thamesmead’s Best Start Family Hub will have dedicated outreach workers to reach families, alongside a practitioner to help identify additional needs early – particularly those who might otherwise fall through the cracks – helping them access the right support sooner without being passed between services.
Alongside this, West Street Best Start Family Hub will deliver Healthy Babies support – bringing together health and early support such as midwifery, health visiting, infant feeding and perinatal mental health support so local families get a more joined-up experience from day one.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“I want babies born this year to grow up as the healthiest generation than any before it – and that means building good habits early.
“We know that the earliest years of a child’s life shape everything that follows. But for too long, families have had to navigate a maze of services at the very moment they need simple, straightforward help.
“We’re making it easier for families to get the right support in one place – from pregnancy through to age two.
“That means spotting problems earlier, stepping in sooner, and moving care closer to the communities that need it most.”
With significant investment over the next three years, Erith and Thamesmead’s Best Start Family Hub will play a key role in improving the school readiness of local children, supporting early development and helping parents manage the cost of living.
Hubs will also be able to host school-based nurseries, bringing childcare together with family support, health visiting and early SEND identification under one roof – giving families more joined-up support.
It comes as Labour prioritises support to make life easier for families across Erith and Thamesmead – from help with managing screen-time to major cost of living interventions, including saving eligible parents an average of £8,000 a year through government-funded childcare, up to £450 a year through Best Start free breakfast clubs, up to £500 a year through the expansion of free school meals, and around £300 a year through Best Start Holiday Activities and Food programmes, alongside the expansion of Best Start school-based nurseries.
