From Sure Start to Family Hubs: how can evidence best inform policymaking for joined up family support in the early years?

This event is now fully booked. 

As part of its Plan for Change, the Labour government has set a bold ambition: to ensure 40,000 more children are school-ready by 2028. Achieving this will require a renewed focus on strengthening and joining up family services from pregnancy through early childhood.

This one-day conference will explore the evidence and policy landscape around early years family support, with a particular focus on the legacy of Sure Start and the future potential of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. It will mark the launch of a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, drawing together a comprehensive programme of research on Sure Start and presenting a cost-benefit analysis of its long-term impacts.

The event is aimed at researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working in central and local government. The morning will feature presentations and discussion of key findings from evaluations of Sure Start and the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. In the afternoon, a high-level panel will consider how evidence can best inform policy to improve outcomes for families and children. The day will conclude with a fireside chat between Ed Balls, former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, and Paul Johnson, Director of the IFS, followed by a networking reception.