Children under one

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Policy in England

February 2012

This briefing outlines:

the NSPCC policy position,
the government's recent developments,
and the relevant guidance and policy

on protecting infants from abuse and neglect in England.

NSPCC policy

As part of the NSPCC's All babies count campaign, the NSPCC is calling on the UK Government to:

ensure resources are available to support vulnerable babies
give commissioners at a local level the powers and responsibility to ensure the right services are in place to protect vulnerable babies and prevent abuse at the earliest opportunity
review the services available to families and take action to fill the gaps.

Read the full NSPCC Westminster campaign briefing: all babies count (PDF, 63KB)

Government policy

The Government has set out its vision for services on offer to parents, children, families in the foundation years (from pregnancy to children aged five).

In 2011 the Department for Education (DfE) published Supporting families in the foundation years (PDF) and the Families in the foundation years: evidence pack (PDF) which lay out the ways the government aims to promote child development, including:

introducing a reformed Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from September 2012
supporting the provision of online and helpline family-support services
increasing take-up of parenting and relationship programmes
helping professionals to use all interactions with families as opportunities to identify any additional needs of both parents and other family members
and increasing the number of families benefiting from the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP).

The report includes responses to the following reviews, commissioned by the Government in 2010:

Field review

In June 2010 Frank Field was commissioned by the Prime Minister to conduct a review of poverty and life chances. Published later that year, The foundation years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults (PDF) recommended that the government should give greater prominence to the early years.

Key influences on future life chances identified in the report included: access to high quality services; healthy pregnancy; good maternal mental health; secure bonding with the child; and love and responsiveness of parents along with clear boundaries.

Allen reviews

Field's report was followed by two reviews from Graham Allen.

The first, Early intervention: the next steps (PDF), published in January 2011, focused on 0-3 year-olds. In it Allen argued that, especially in a child's earliest years, the right kind of parenting is a bigger influence on their future than any common social factor. The report highlighted examples of good practice in the field of early intervention, including 19 'top programmes' identified as particularly effective.

Allen's second report, Early intervention: smart investment, massive savings, looked at how early intervention services could be paid for within existing resources and by attracting non-governmental funding.

Tickell review

A further review by Dame Clare Tickell focused on services provided through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Published in March 2011, The early years: foundations for life, health and learning (PDF) looked at how services could work more effectively with parents and carers to assist the developmental progress of children in their first years.

Guidance and policy

Maternity services

CG110 Pregnancy and complex social factors: full guideline
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2010
Clinical guideline for the provision of services to pregnant women with complex social factors including: substance misuse, domestic abuse, recent arrival as a migrant, asylum seeker or refugee status, poverty, homelessness, aged under 20 years or difficulty speaking or understanding English.

Raising sensitive issues: a training package for maternity settings
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and University of Leeds, 2011
Pack for trainers to develop staff training to support NICE's clinical guideline 110 on providing services to pregnant women with complex social factors.

Healthy Child Programme: pregnancy and the first five years of life (PDF)
Department of Health, 2009
Universal preventative service for health in the early years, providing families with a programme of screening, immunisation etc. Supersedes and replaces the child health promotion programme from 2008.

PSA Delivery Agreement 19: Ensure better care for all (PDF)
HM Government, 2007
Includes percentage of women who have seen a maternity healthcare professional by 12 completed weeks of pregnancy.

The NHS Neonatal Taskforce.
Department of Health, 2008
Produced a set of standards for neonatal care, and a commissioning framework. Now disbanded.

Maternity matters: choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service
Department of Health, 2007
Elaborates on how the maternity module of the National service framework for children, young people and maternity services is to be implemented.

Facing the future (PDF)
Department of Health, 2007
Review into the role of the health visitor. Made seven recommendations.

National guidelines for maternity services liaison committees (PDF)
Department of Health, 2006
Incorporates Standard 11 of the National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services.

National service framework for children, young people and maternity services: core standards (PDF)
Department of Health (DH) and Department for Education and Skills, 2004
A 10-year programme that aims for long term and sustained improvement in children’s health. Standard 11 focuses on maternity services.

Families and parents

Supporting families in the foundation years (PDF)
Department for Education (DfE) and Department of Health (DH), 2011
The government’s vision for the services that should be on offer for parents, children and families in the foundation years.

Teenage pregnancy strategy: beyond 2010 (PDF)
Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health (DH), 2010, (launched 1998)
Aimed to cut the under-18 pregnancy rate in half by 2010, and increase the number of teenage parents in education, training or employment in order to reduce their risk of long term social exclusion. Included Sure Start Plus.

The children’s plan: building brighter futures (PDF)
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), 2007
10 year plan to support families and children under each of the DCSF’s strategic objectives. Progress report published in December 2009. Among other things it put in place child death overview panels in all local safeguarding children boards.

Every child matters: change for childre (PDF)
HM Government, 2004
The foundation for work with all children and young people. Has five key aims and builds on universal health and education services. Broad safeguarding rather than narrow child protection focus, and emphasis on prevention.

Sure start
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), 2004
Programme to deliver the best start in life for every child, bringing together a range of services. Coalition Government pledged to refocus the programme.

Information for parents: the pregnancy book and Birth to five
Department of Health (DH), 2009
Distributed to women at their antenatal appointments and after mother and baby have returned home.

Child health and health inequalities

Achieving equity and excellence for children (PDF)
Department of Health (DH), 2010
Consultation on the implications of NHS Reforms for services for children and families.

Maternity and early years: making a good start to family life (PDF)
Department of Health (DH), 2010
Includes various commitments, such as consulting on new entitlements for women to access maternity services early in pregnancy.

Fair society, healthy lives: the Marmot review: strategic review of health inequalities in England post-2010 (PDF)
The Marmot Review, 2010
Discusses of how pre-birth factors influence long term health inequalities. Says 25% of all deaths under the age of one year could be avoided.

Together we can end violence against women and girls: a strategy (PDF)
HM Government, 2009
Strategy which proposed placing an obligation on health professionals to report female genital mutilation in pregnant women.

Healthy lives, brighter futures: child health strategy (PDF)
Department of Health (DH) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), 2009
Long term strategy setting out what children and families can expect from child health services in their areas, from birth through to the age of 19 years.