Our approach

What is our Start for Life and family hubs approach? 

Our vision for our Start for Life and family hubs approach supports a shared ambition that Norfolk is a place where all children and young people can flourish:

• Joining up and enhancing services 
• Building on our existing prevention and early help activity
• Families have access to a range of support
• There will be a particular focus on improving access to support for:
  • Families from lower socio-economic groups
  • Families of children with special educational needs and disabilities
  • Those from minority groups who experience exclusion
• It will support multi-agency workforce development 
• Opportunities for parents and carers to act as parent champions offering peer support

Find out more about family hubs at a national level.

Our Start for Life offer is based on a Government policy paper, 'The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days'.

The policy paper starts with the needs of the baby. It describes six action areas designed to help make things easier for busy parents and carers:

• Seamless support for families: a coherent joined-up Start for Life offer available to all families
• A welcoming hub for families: family hubs as a place for families to access Start for Life services
• The information families need when they need it: designing digital, virtual and telephone offers around the needs of the family
• An empowered Start for Life workforce: developing a modern skilled workforce to meet the changing needs of families
• Continually improving the Start for Life offer: improving data, evaluation, outcomes and proportionate inspection
• Leadership for change: ensuring local and national accountability and building the economic case