Halton Family Hubs

Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life in Halton

We are committed to giving every child in Halton the Best Start in Life by building a high‑quality, joined‑up early years system that supports families from pregnancy through to school. This aligns with the national ambition that 75% of children achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) by 2028 and reflects our shared belief that every child should have the opportunity to thrive.

Our newly published Vision and Priorities for Early Years sets out how we will work as a whole system—across health, education, social care, Family Hubs, schools, early years settings, and the voluntary and community sector—to improve outcomes for babies, young children and their families.

The vision is underpinned by clear principles: positive relationships, clear communication, shared purpose, kindness, respect, and trauma‑informed approaches. These principles guide how we collaborate and how we design and deliver services across Halton’s Family Hubs and the wider Best Start offer.

Our approach focuses on three pillars:

  • Pillar 1: Better Support for Families – strengthening integrated pathways, improving access to the universal offer, embedding SEND support from the start, and ensuring families receive the right help at the right time.
  • Pillar 2: More Accessible Early Education and Childcare – increasing take‑up of funded hours, expanding flexibility and affordability, and enhancing inclusive practice.
  • Pillar 3: Improving Quality in Early Years, Including Reception – investing in workforce development, embedding evidence‑based practice, and using data to target improvement.

Through these pillars, we are working together to improve early development, increase school readiness, reduce inequalities between communities, and increase engagement with early years services. Our collective goal is to raise GLD from 62% to 71% by 2028, and to ensure more children meet expected Ages and Stages milestones.

The Strategy and other supporting documents are available to download

To find out more about Best Start Family Hubs, please visit www.haltonfamilyhubs.co.uk.