Committee announces new inquiry on First 1000 Days of Life

• New inquiry: The First 1000 Days: A renewed focus
• Submit evidence
• Health and Social Care Committee

Back in 2019, a previous Health and Social Care Committee reported on the topic and found significant variation in the provision of support to parents and families in the first 1000 days. 

MPs on the cross-party Committee chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran have chosen to revisit the subject now, in the context of the Government making “breaking down barriers to opportunity” one of its six missions within its Plan for Change and including a commitment to “set every child up for the best start in life”. 

The new inquiry will be an opportunity for MPs to investigate whether progress has been made on outcomes for children and young people since 2019, examining how effective Family Hubs and the introduction of integrated care systems (ICSs) have been in improving outcomes. 

The Committee will probe what the barriers are to delivering high-quality early years services, particularly in Family Hubs and through neonatal and paediatric services, and how these barriers can be addressed. 

The inquiry will also examine how the Government can most effectively tackle disparities in infant health outcomes, including disparities in outcomes for disabled children. 

MPs will also look ahead, to consider what the Government should prioritise in upcoming funding allocations for early years services. 

The new inquiry will consider the principle of ‘proportionate universalism’, an approach which means that services are available to all but are targeted in proportion to the level of need. 

Chair comment

The Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran MP, said: 

“There is overwhelming and unambiguous evidence on the crucial importance of the first 1000 days of life in shaping children’s development and outcomes in later life.  

“If the best conditions for healthy development are missing from a child’s life in the first 1000 days, this can have significant impacts on their life chances, including their physical and mental health, their education, their work and their social and emotional well-being. Negative outcomes for children can also impact other areas of governmental responsibility, including the health service, the economy, and social stability.  

“It is the importance of this short but critical time in a child’s life that is the reason why our committee has chosen to focus our attention on it in our new inquiry. We want to renew political focus on this vital period in a child’s life. 

“We will assess whether the landscape has changed since a previous committee reported on the topic in 2019 and will look at the current situation facing new parents and children’s early years. As part of our inquiry, we will be looking into variations in provision for infant health and will delve into the inequalities that exist. 

“We are today launching a call for evidence to hear from parents, early years practitioners, health professionals, local government, charities and other stakeholders on a range of questions which will inform practical recommendations we make to the Government on how to improve outcomes for children and give every child the best start in life.” 

Call for evidence

The Committee has today (Friday 21 March) launched a call for evidence and welcomes written submissions responding to the following questions by Monday 21 April 2025.

1. What progress has been made since the previous Committee’s 2019 First 1000 days of life report in terms of outcomes for children and young people in delivering integrated early years through Family Hubs? In particular what progress has been made on the calls in the Committee’s 2019 report for a) Proportionate universalism and b) Greater integration and multi-agency working? 
2. What should the Government prioritise in upcoming funding allocations for early years services?
3. How effective have Family Hubs and the introduction of integrated care systems been in improving early childhood outcomes?
4. What are the key barriers to delivering high-quality early years services, particularly in Family Hubs and through neonatal and paediatric services, and how can they be addressed?
5. How can vaccine uptake be most effectively increased and supported in the first 1000 days? 
6. How can the Government most effectively tackle inequalities in access and infant health outcomes for those from underserved groups including those with disabilities, or from ethnic minority or deprived backgrounds?
7. What could the Government learn from examples of best practice that exist in local authorities, NHS Trusts, or internationally?

Submissions to the above call for evidence can be made on the Committee’s website, until 11.59pm on Monday 21 April 2025.

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