Maria Miller told a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference in Manchester that early intervention is a "common sense" approach and one she backs.
Citing statistics showing that a fifth of mothers suffer post-natal depression, she said Sure Start centres should be used as a model for uncovering potential issues at an early stage.
"Some might argue that there are too many centres and there are issues around sustainability but that is a question for another day," she said. "The real issue is making sure we use them to the best of their ability.We believe in using Sure Start health visitors to spearhead early intervention, not just for the most disadvantaged families but across the land.
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