Emma Bowman, one of our Directors of Children’s Services, looks at the vital role family hubs play for parents of young children living in poverty, and why continued investment in these services is so important to help every baby get the best possible start in life.
In April, we launched a new campaign to shine a light on the everyday challenges faced by parents bringing up babies and toddlers while living in poverty – and the lasting impact this can have on families. At the heart of the campaign is a call on governments across the UK to take a simple but important first step: introducing a universal baby bundle scheme to give families practical help right from the very start of a child’s life.
Alongside this, we’re sharing a series of blogs from people working across Barnardo’s and the wider sector, exploring what more needs to be done to support families with the youngest children.
Welcoming a new baby is a time of enormous change for parents. Everything is new – routines, relationships, responsibilities, and worries. No one can be expected to have all the answers, and every new parent will say you have to learn as you go.
This is exactly why accessible family support services are so important in the earliest stages of parenthood. For nearly 20 years, I’ve worked alongside parents, practitioners, and local leaders to support the development of these services. From the creation of Sure Start in the late 1990s to the Best Start family hubs now opening across the country, the principle is the same: all new parents should have a place they can go for trusted advice, practical help, and reassurance during the most formative years of their child’s life.
What is a family hub – and why do we need more of them?
Family hubs are friendly, local places where parents and carers can go for help, advice, and reassurance – all under one roof. They support families from pregnancy and the early days with a new baby, right through childhood and adolescence.
At a family hub, parents can walk through the door and get support with whatever they’re facing – whether that’s feeding a baby, understanding child development, finding a play group, getting health advice or help through a difficult time. Family hubs bring together professionals which can include midwives, health visitors, and family support workers in one familiar, welcoming place, so families can get help early and without judgement.
Barnardo’s currently runs around 75 family hubs in communities across the UK, supporting families at some of the most important moments of their lives. Our hubs are designed to feel safe and accessible – places where parents can ask questions, build confidence, and meet other families, and where you will find support no matter your background or question.
While family hubs have existed for a while, the government’s recent Best Start in Life Strategy committed to expanding the programme across England. This includes a commitment to provide £500 million over three years with the aim of establishing a family hub in every local authority in England – these new services will make a real difference to the parents they will support.
However, at its height there were over 3,500 Sure Start centres across the country meaning that while the recently announced plans are progress, they fall short of the extensive early intervention infrastructure that once existed. A long-term commitment is needed to rebuild this system, giving every community access to high-quality, trusted family support.
Poverty, pressure, and early development
Investment in universal family support is particularly critical because the pressures facing families in the UK today are growing. Today, 4.5 million children are living in poverty, one in five has a mental health condition, and over 140,000 school‑aged children were missing from education at some point during 2024/25. These challenges don’t suddenly appear when children start school – they often begin from birth or even before.
Raising a baby on a low income can be tough. Being born into poverty can shape early parenthood. Living in poor‑quality or overcrowded housing limits babies’ space to move, explore, and play. At the same time, parents surviving on a low income often simply can’t afford activities that support early development – such as baby groups, sensory sessions, or soft play.
Raising a baby on a low income can be tough. Being born into poverty can shape early parenthood. Living in poor‑quality or overcrowded housing limits babies’ space to move, explore, and play. At the same time, parents surviving on a low income often simply can’t afford activities that support early development – such as baby groups, sensory sessions, or soft play.
Emma Bowman
Director Childrens Services Ops, South East
These early experiences matter. They support bonding, build social skills, and lay the foundations for learning. When families can’t access them, the gap between children from wealthier and poorer backgrounds widens – not just financially, but in terms of opportunity later in life as well.
That’s why supporting families with the financial strain of a new baby has become an increasingly important part of our work. For example, at our Sandwell family hub, parents can access welfare advice directly through the service. A welfare rights adviser works from the centre several days a week, helping families understand benefit entitlements, apply for benefits where appropriate, and access emergency support such as food banks or debt advice.
This joined‑up support reduces stress and helps provide the stability babies need in those crucial early months and years.
Giving every baby the essentials from day one – and ending the postcode lottery
Another important way we can support families facing financial pressure is through baby bundles.
In simple terms, a baby bundle is a package of essential items given to parents during pregnancy or shortly after their baby is born. Baby bundles usually include basics like clothing, blankets, nappies, a book or toy, and clear, practical information about caring for a newborn and supporting early development. They help ease financial pressure at a time when costs rise and incomes often fall – and they reassure parents that support is there from the very start.
Several of our services work with local partners already to provide this support. For example, at our Sandwell family hub, social workers can request baby bundles worth up to £70 for care‑experienced young parents, while staff can refer other families to a local charity. In the past year, more than 20 parents received baby bundles through these routes. We also know that baby bundles can help families connect with family hubs. They give them an early introduction to local support and can act as a way to start important conversations with trusted professionals – at a moment when new parents are in need of support.
But access to baby bundles remains patchy and inconsistent, often depending on geography and local funding. That’s why we strongly believe we need a universal, national baby bundle offer, embedded within family hubs as part of a strengthened and enhanced family support system for all new parents.
After nearly two decades working in this field, I know from my first-hand experience that investing early works. Family hubs – backed by sustainable funding and a universal baby bundle offer – can support parents from the moment a baby arrives and help reduce inequality before it takes hold.
If we get this right, we won’t just be supporting today’s families – we’ll be shaping fairer futures for generations to come.
Help us make sure the government gives babies and toddlers the foundations they need
Right now, four in 10 parents across the UK are struggling to afford the essential items they need to care for their newborn babies. Poverty keeps too many babies and toddlers from building the healthy foundations they need to learn, play, and grow. It undermines their futures, leading to delays in speech and physical development, and damages their emotional wellbeing.
“We were financially stable...then we ended up homeless” Aimee’s story
Aimee, a care-experienced (someone who grew up in the care system) mum from Scotland, explains how quickly circumstances can change and push a family into homelessness after we supported her family to get back into housing.
Want to know more about how baby bundles can make a difference?
Our report explains how baby bundles help make sure every child has the best start by providing families with essential baby items and connecting them to the right local support in their communities.