Healthy Babies support to reach every family hub in England

The Healthy Babies programme will be expanded to every Best Start Family Hub in England, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.

The announcement came as Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper set out plans for a more integrated approach to family support, similar to that provided by Sure Start.

What families will get

Parents will get enhanced infant feeding and mental health support. They will also get help to form strong relationships with their babies.

This will sit alongside health visiting and midwifery support. The government says it will be available at more than 1,000 hubs by 2028.

Why it is changing

Best Start Family Hubs have been rolling out across England. However, the DHSC said more than half of local authorities have hubs without Healthy Babies services.

This means families cannot always get integrated health, early years development and family support in one place, according to the DHSC.

The programme will now be expanded to all local authorities, based on the Sure Start principles of a more integrated approach to family support.

The DHSC said the move is part of the government's neighbourhood health approach. This will see integrated early years, family and elderly support delivered closer to home.

The Department for Education (DfE) and the DHSC had already published guidance to help local authorities provide Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services from April 2026.

The same announcement also covered adult social care and the NHS response to violence against women and girls.