Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to start the Online Parenting Interventions project on the target for 75% of children to reach a good level of development by the end of reception by 2028.

The government is delivering the most significant expansion of joined-up health, education and family support since Sure Start and is committed to ensuring that families can access help and advice through both local services and digital channels. Backed by over £900 million, Best Start Family Hubs are now delivering across the country, building towards our ambition of 1,000 hubs by the end of 2028.

The Best Start in Life strategy committed to a digital parenting offer. The government has created the parent-facing website https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/ and is funding all local authorities to provide a parenting and home learning offer. The government has published a menu of interventions, including digital programmes, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-parenting-and-home-learning-environment-menu-of-interventions. These programmes are being delivered to families as part of our work to ensure that 75% of children achieve a good level of development by the end of reception from 2028.

Alongside this delivery, the department has been scoping an additional programme that would scale and strengthen the evidence base about the impact of digital parenting support in England, with a view to the eventual creation of a nationally available offer. This work included some early market engagement with potential suppliers to help shape a requirement. While final decisions are yet to be made, this work is ongoing and further announcements will be made in due course.