The Committee is asked to consider Document “G” which provides an update on the implementation of the Better Start Bradford Programme, outcomes, impact and the implications for the District.

Recommended –

That the Area Committee notes the report and Ward Councillors receive regular updates.

(Children’s Services/Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 (Ishaq Shafiq – 01274 431066)

The Committee was asked to consider Document “G” which provided an update on the implementation of the Better Start Bradford Programme, outcomes, impact and the implications for the District.

The Programme Director attended the meeting and gave a detailed presentation in respect of Better Start Bradford, explaining that it had come about as the result of a successful bid to the National Lottery Community fund and that it was now in year five of a ten year programme focussing on and addressing inequality and disadvantage to improve maternal and child health.

She stressed that improvements made in the first 100 days of a child’s life had been shown to have proven positive effects later in life.

She also advised that the first four years of the programme had been the “implementation” phase and that it had now progressed into the “delivery” phase with 20 projects operating across the area delivering a range of interventions to expectant parents and those with children under four. In addition to the direct project work, Better Start was working to highlight the importance of those early years. The Programme Director drew attention to the “Big Little Moments” campaign which was being delivered across all five Better Start sites delivering simple key messages to parents about early brain development and the actions they could take to support this.

The programme was now moving into full evaluation of a proportion of the services being provided which would contribute to research aimed at improving outcomes and reducing inequalities for young children living in disadvantage. A national evaluation of the whole programme was also underway to share learning and provide evidence to influence decision making.

Training and development was a key component of the delivery, supporting the workforce and cascading learning where appropriate district wide. A second Baby Week Bradford would be held in from the 4^th to the 9^th of November, with over 40 events planned across the district throughout the week.

A Member highlighted that communities were now quite different than in previous years in terms of family mobility, especially among those families most in need of the services of Better Start Bradford. He expressed some concern that this could adversely affect the potential for positive step change.

The Programme Director concurred with that view and but stated that outcomes of the population in the Better Start area remained poor and explained that developing community capacity and understanding the mobility of the Better Start cohort were both vital to enabling sustainability of the change delivered and providing the context for results achieved.

Another Member noted that projects in other cities involved in Better Start were of a different nature, with more emphasis being placed on capital projects and queried whether this would resolve his colleague’s concerns about mobility and replication. He was advised that in Bradford there was a strong capital element which would both improve the environment for young children and their families and was linked to the programme’s priority outcome areas.  

In response to a final question about the capital spend, Members were advised that plans were in place to ensure that all capital funding was utilised and evaluated by the end of the programme. 

Resolved-

That Document “G” be noted and Ward Councillors receive regular updates.

Action:           Strategic Director Place

(Children’s Services/Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)