Best Start Family Hubs
Debate between Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I acknowledge the noble Lord’s involvement in setting up the family hub programme under the previous Government. I reassure him that Best Start Family Hubs will be open to all families with children aged nought to 19 and up to 25 for young people with SEND. They will be welcoming spaces where every family feels valued and confident to ask for help. They will be open to older children and they can become part of the local youth offer, including Young Futures hubs, where that makes sense locally—these programmes will be locally driven. We are working with other government departments to determine what additional services will be included in Best Start Family Hubs. That will be reflected in further guidance, which we will publish in spring 2026.
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)
My Lords, how will Best Start Family Hubs reduce rather than deepen regional inequalities, particularly in areas with the highest child poverty rates, where pressure on local services is often greatest?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The commitment is to make sure that every local authority area has a family hub. Deprivation is one of the key factors in the programme. We want to make sure that all children benefit from the services on offer; it is down to local authorities to determine where their priorities are and how they can best help and give the support that families need.
Early Years Education
Debate between Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The IFS report published last year should be essential reading for everyone, especially those who have responsibility for nurturing and developing the next generation. The evidence shows that children with access to Sure Start centres, defined as those within a 2.5 kilometre radius, performed significantly better in assessments at ages 7, 11 and 16. However, as my noble friend said, it is absolutely crucial to get children to the point where they are ready to learn when they enter early years settings, and that is what the Best Start family hubs are being set up to do.
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)
My Lords, in recent weeks, your Lordships’ House has rightly discussed the NEET figure, which totals almost 1 million young people. Can the Minister say whether any work has been done to look at that cohort of young people to see what support they had in their early years? Can we start to map out gaps for young people who are NEET because they did not have that support early on?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord raises a complex issue about evidence. We need to look at cohorts of young people to understand why some of them are failing to move forward. We know, for example, that Covid has had a huge impact on mental health and has sapped confidence. It is fundamental that everything we do is evidence-based. Gathering that information and evidence is fundamental in helping to develop our policies going forward.
Girls: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Debate between Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I think it is fair to say that I was not expecting that question, but I absolutely acknowledge and accept everything the noble Lord has said. The most important thing, of course, is that we all send our huge congratulations and recognise the contribution these young women are making, but we also have to understand that all sportspeople can be incredible ambassadors and role models. In my local area, rugby league is huge; they are getting the kids in and training. Girls’ rugby is, I think, the fastest growing sport in Leeds. If they misbehave or do not come along, they are out. The discipline is extraordinary. I thank the noble Lord for the question, and I hope he will please pass on my messages.
Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)
My Lords, I want to follow up on the Minister’s previous answer concerning primary education. What steps are being taken to encourage not only science teachers but other teachers to ensure that girls get that early education that will inspire them to take this subject at a later stage in life?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I answered this question in the sense of needing to get into primary schools to start to change attitudes. Working with teachers and professionals is critical in this, and that is why we are investing in the workforce and training, and in getting a greater awareness of why there are these barriers. We have to work with families across the piece. Families do not understand the complexity of the system. We need to break down that complexity and ensure greater ownership of young people’s futures.