Funded with £215mn by The National Lottery Community Fund, A Better Start (ABS) has supported five partnerships in Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham, and Southend to develop and test ways to improve their children's diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, and speech, language, and communication.
Over the past decade, the programme has worked with more than 140,000 babies, young children, pregnant mothers, and parents and carers in disadvantaged areas and delivered more than 170 services, taking a “test and learn” approach to getting the service design right and involving parents in every aspect of development.
While three of the sites – in Southend, Lambeth and Nottingham – are winding down, with some aspects of their work being handed on to local partners, operations in Blackpool and Bradford are going to continue for an extended period.
Programme evaluation
Several ABS projects have won recognition, including winning CYP Now Awards, and a detailed evaluation of the whole programme, led by Natcen, will be published in 2026.
David Knott, chief executive of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We will continue to ensure that our funding benefits communities in need for generations to come.”
To enable this, the learning from ABS will continue to be fed into future practice and policy development by the National Children's Bureau, allowing the programme to continue influencing government early years policy.
Here, leaders from the five programme sites set out their achievements and how learning from their work will be taken forward in the future.
Transforming the system in Blackpool
Clare Law, director of Blackpool Better Start
Blackpool Better Start's “Systems Building” framework aims to address the fragmented provision for families during pregnancy and early childhood from the ground up, creating pathways to services that have been co-designed with parents and reflect the voice of the child.
“Setting the collective vision for Blackpool Better Start enabled all agencies to see how their own work could make a difference for families with young children,” says Neil Jack, chief executive of Blackpool Council.
Building this new system requires a collective approach and sustained commitment.
In “Systems Building”, multi-agency governance structures enable collective decision-making, keeping early childhood high on the agenda and encouraging accountability. Including senior leaders can create opportunities for more integrated working. The Blackpool Better Start Executive Board has done just this – finding joined-up solutions and removing barriers.
Family involvement also underpins system building. Blackpool's community connectors are an essential part of its early years support. The community connectors work to increase parents' awareness and take-up of community resources, because even the best evidence-based interventions won't improve outcomes for babies and children if people aren't accessing them.
What's next: Our long-term ambition is for all babies and young children across the country to benefit from this rare opportunity to rebuild our early years system.
Parents take lead in Bradford
Shummel Uddin, engagement manager, Better Start Bradford
Since 2017, Better Start Bradford has supported parents and carers to run their own activities for other expectant parents and families with 0-3s. The original idea came from parent representatives on their Partnership Board, making it a parent-led initiative.
Initially through the Parents in the Lead Fund, re-named the Happy Early Years Fund in 2022, parents and carers could apply for up to £2,500 to run free, local activities that addressed one of the programme's core outcomes for 0-3s of improving diet and nutrition, supporting social and emotional development, or helping speech, language and communication. Funding decisions were made by a panel of other local parents and carers.
The variety and creativity of applications has been incredible, from exercise in pregnancy, to sensory play, swimming, bug hunting and even pop-up farms.
Better Start Bradford's director, Gill Thornton, says: “We have given more than £260,000 to over 160 parent and carer-led groups. The funding has not only enabled parents and carers to run groups and activities – and gain experience as panel members – it has given them the opportunity to develop new skills, confidence and an understanding of how important it is to give children the best start in life.”
What's next: Better Start Bradford has partnered with Community Action Bradford and District to advise groups on becoming constituted and how to apply for funding.
Changing policy in south London
Sophie Woodhead, assistant director, LEAP
Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) developed more than 20 local services to meet the needs of families through pregnancy and the early years of childhood. We collected and analysed data and stories from across the LEAP partnership, and the following themes emerged:
- LEAP took a systems-change approach, embedding services into the local ecosystem rather than creating stand-alone interventions. This method influenced national investments through Start for Life, particularly in areas like infant mental health and wellbeing, which historically lacked dedicated support.
- LEAP recognised the importance of actively engaging parents in service development. The community engagement model incorporated multiple participatory methods, including governance roles, parent champions, and community researchers. A test- and-learn approach led to an engagement strategy including hyper-local outreach with child focus; combining large-scale events with sustained weekly sessions; adapting services to parents' needs; creation of a community connector role to facilitate access to services.
- LEAP identified a gap in domestic abuse support for pregnant women and mothers with young children, leading to the development of an innovative relational model. This early intervention strategy informed the Lambeth Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, embedding preventative approaches into the local system.
LEAP has been able to implement a holistic, systems-led approach to early childhood interventions, with a focus on community engagement, early intervention, and workforce capacity-building.
What's next: Its insights continue to shape early years practices, ensuring that investments in early childhood services are responsive, inclusive, and sustainable.
Supporting diversity in Nottingham
Nadine Otting, research and learning officer, Small Steps Big Changes
Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) in Nottingham has adopted a test- and-learn approach to enhance support for families with children under four.
Alongside high levels of poverty in Nottingham, families may experience language and cultural barriers in accessing pregnancy and early childhood services – more than 40% of residents are from ethnic minority groups.
We've learnt the importance of the following three levers for system change to improve access to pregnancy and early years services for families from diverse backgrounds.
- Co-production has been central to the programme's development and delivery, with parent champions serving as advocates for their local communities. Coproduction has shaped community needs, and boosted family acceptance and engagement, peaking at 80% in SSBC wards.
- Using a community-based commissioning approach, the programme has ensured collaborative and inclusive planning, funding, and delivery of service. When consulted, parents requested ongoing parenting support in the form of a non-judgmental, peer-led, home visiting service. SSBC developed the Family Mentor Service, delivered by a peer workforce reflecting the ethnicity of Nottingham's population and uptake was improved.
- Using father-inclusive practice to engage dads through early fatherhood will benefit children and families. SSBC has actively listened to fathers' voices, considering diverse cultural perspectives to better understand fatherhood and meet the needs of Nottingham's diverse dads. A website hosts examples of good practice and father inclusive resources.
What's next: Future delivery of SSBC Family Mentor Service will be on a smaller scale through Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board's Health Inequalities and Innovation Fund.
Improved partnerships in Southend
Clare Littleford, head of research, evaluation and impact, ABSS
When asked about the differences that A Better Start Southend (ABSS) made for local families, one service manager responded: “The value that's added is more than the sum of its parts, because we're able to work together.”
Evaluations identified that greater interaction between services led to a more holistic offer for families. ABSS has been characterised as an “ecosystem”, with cross-pollination within networks and referrals across and between projects.
Responses to the changes in approach relied on partner relationships. It takes time to develop understanding and trust between partners, but working across organisations is more successful where partners share a common goal.
The ABSS ecosystem is not just about connections between organisations and services; resilient communities share knowledge and learning within supportive relationships. Staff delivering services saw an increase in referrals and shared learning between ABSS services, and families report stronger relationships with staff.
ABSS work with families puts lived experience and family voices at the heart of services, and it championed co-production, giving parents/carers a pivotal role in development and delivery.
What's next: Evidence from the evaluation of ABSS services demonstrates that enhancing parental resilience by improving parents' and carers' knowledge, skills and confidence leads to improved outcomes for children.
