Parents across the UK are set to receive a significant boost as the government confirms the nationwide rollout of a revamped support network for families, with a dedicated focus on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
What Are the New Best Start Family Hubs?
Inspired by the legacy of Sir Tony Blair's Sure Start centres, the new Best Start Family Hubs will begin opening from April next year. A total of 1,000 hubs are planned, with ministers directing that seven in ten must be located in the most disadvantaged areas of the country.
Local councils have been instructed to prioritise communities facing the biggest barriers to access. Each hub will be required to recruit a new dedicated SEND practitioner to provide direct, face-to-face support for families.
How Will Early SEND Support Work?
The core mission of the initiative is to provide early, expert help directly within local communities. For families of children with SEND, this means accessing practical advice and interventions before everyday challenges escalate.
Parents will be offered a range of support, which could include:
- Child-focused speech and language therapy sessions for toddlers.
- Specialist parent and baby groups tailored to specific needs.
- Guidance on managing daily routines and behaviours.
Professionals will aim to connect families to further specialist services if required. The approach is backed by research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which found that early access to Sure Start centres led to children being more likely to receive support at age five, but less likely to need high-level support between ages seven and sixteen.
Funding and the Wider SEND Reform Context
The government has invested £500 million in the Best Start Family Hub scheme. Funding for the additional SEND provision within the hubs is still to be confirmed and will be separate from this core investment.
The announcement comes amid long-standing calls for an overhaul of the SEND system, which parents, teachers, and councils say is failing. A landmark schools white paper containing wider reforms, delayed from October, is now expected early next year.
Education Secretary Bridget Philipson stated: "Nowhere is that support more important than for families of children with SEND, where early, expert help can make all the difference not only for parents, but for children’s life chances."
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, welcomed the move, noting that the decimation of support services over the past decade has led to more children starting school with additional needs. "Early intervention is not just good for children and families – it is essential for our education system," he said.
