Committees

The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus

Inquiry

The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age two, are widely recognised as a critical period for child development, shaping long-term health, well-being, and life outcomes.The previous Committee examined this period in its 2019 First 1000 days of life inquiryconsidering national strategy, current spending and barriers to investment and local provision. Since then, there have been a number of significant policy developments in this area.The most notable being the shift to integrated care services (ICSs) under the previous Government in 2022.The current Government has allocated £126 million for early years support and the expansion of Family Hubs under its mission to “break down the barriers to opportunities”.The Committee’s inquiry will examine progress made since 2019, the effectiveness of family hubs and integrated care systems in improving early childhood outcomesand how inequalities in access can be most improved. 

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 22 April 2025.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 3 September 2025
9:15am Private
9:30am Public
The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus - Oral evidence 3 September 2025
9:30am
  • Ashley Dalton MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention at Department of Health and Social Care)
  • Liz Ketch (Director for Early Years, Children & Families at Department of Health and Social Care)
  • Susie Owen (Co-Director for Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis at Department of Education)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 2 July 2025
9:15am Private
9:30am Public
The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus - Oral evidence 2 July 2025
9:30am
  • Dr Doug Simkiss (Chair of the British Association for Community Paediatrics at Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)
  • Dr Sally Payne (Professional Advisor at Royal College of Occupational Therapists)
  • Dr Claire Fuller (Co-medical director for Primary Care at NHS England)
  • Anna Bird (CEO at Contact)
10:30am
  • Janet Cooper (Expert Adviser at Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists)
  • Jane Harris (CEO at Speech and Language UK)
11:00am
  • Dr Amit Aggarwal (Medical Director at Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI))
  • Dr Helen Skirrow (Clinical Research Fellow at Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London)
  • Dr Helen Stewart (Officer for Health Improvement at The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 4 June 2025
9:15am Private
9:30am Public
The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus - Oral evidence 4 June 2025
9:30am
  • Dr Christine Farquharson (Associate Director at Institute for Fiscal Studies)
  • Rukshana Kapasi (Director of Health at Barnardos)
  • Rachel Roberts (Strategic Lead for Early Help and Prevention, Children, Young People and Family Services at Hull City Council)
  • Alison Morton (CEO at Institute of Health Visiting)
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 7 May 2025
9:15am Private
9:30am Public
The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus - Oral evidence 7 May 2025
9:30am
  • Professor Sir Michael Marmot (Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, and Director at UCL Institute of Health Equity)
10:30am
  • Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE (Former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care, and the Government's Early Years Health Development Advisor and Chair at Early Years Healthy Development Review)
Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.

  • Email: hsccom@parliament.uk
  • Address: Health and Social Care Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA