A Better Start
A Better Future for the Children of Blackpool
“Our pledge…
…is to make a generational shift, ensuring today’s babies enjoy the early care
and nurture they need for healthy development and to be ready for school.
And that in turn, as they grow up and become parents themselves, they will
pass on the Better Start legacy to the next generation”
A developmental approach
Social & Emotional
Development
Communication &
Language
Key Developmental Outcome 1:
Healthy gestation and birth
Key Developmental Outcome 2:
Readiness for school
Diet & Nutrition
Framework for action
Reducing critical pressures and
barriers (tackling risk)
Empowering parents and
communities (building capabilities)
Drugs and alcohol
Parenting (knowledge and skills)
Mental ill-health
Parent-child relationship
(attachment)
Relationships and
domestic abuse
Self-efficacy
Isolation
Social cohesion
Underpinned by policy and intervention on
physical space, housing, jobs, poverty,
transport
Our distinctive approach
1. Public Health
Change for a
population
3. Reframing
& System
Transformation
Building shared
understanding and
shared action
2. Evidence
Based
Intervention
Change for those
with additional needs
4. Centre for
Early Child
Development
Building and sharing
learning
1. Public health – change for a population
Universal Partnership
Plus
Universal Plus
Universal
Community
OUR APPROACH:
• Focus on needs of the whole
population
• Changing social context and
social norms
• Shifting the curve; and
bringing the tail
• Universal health promotion
resources
• Series of focussed campaigns
2. Evidence based intervention
Intervention at Universal Partnership Plus level
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Universal Partnership
Plus
Family Nurse Partnership
Parents Under Pressure
Parent-Infant Psychotherapy
Safecare
Survivor Mums*
Domestic Abuse*
Pre-birth risk assessment*
Alcohol in pregnancy
Intervention at Universal Plus level
Universal Plus
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Baby Steps
Video Interaction Guidance
Hanen & REAL
Triple P for toddlers
Early Learning with Families
Intervention at Universal level
Universal
Community
• Health Promotion resources and 4 new public health
campaigns
• Maternity and Community Health
• Children’s Centres
Community programmes
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Beach School
Food Dudes
FNP graduate mentors
Safe space and play fund
3. Systems transformation: engaging families and communities
KEY CHALLENGES:
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Our parents say they want to be more in control
Many families are poorly connected to their communities
Service access is often poor and trust is low
Parents want safe space to meet
Parents want more say in the design and delivery of services
OUR APPROACH:
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Real projects with budgets and impact
Targeting known weaknesses
Delivering pledges on service accessibility
Community champions
FNP Mentoring service
Real power to ‘Community Voice’
3. Systems transformation: workforce development
KEY CHALLENGES:
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Professionals want tools and approaches for better engaging families
They want access to evidence based methods of practice and opportunities for sharing learning
Some practitioners need specialist training in evidence based programmes
There are opportunities for increasing multi-agency working
Professionals want more opportunities for reflective practice and to build their confidence in decision
making
OUR APPROACH:
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‘Frameworks’ approach – continuous development
Better Start Workforce Development Group
Core values, competency framework and skills audit
‘Core’ training programme
Specialist training for specific professionals
Specialist training in evidence based programmes
Video Enhanced Reflective Practice
3. Systems transformation: investment, leadership and accountability
KEY CHALLENGES:
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Early intervention and prevention require a long-term and sustained commitment
There is a need to redirect investment towards early years interventions and prevention
Competing priorities and policy silos can hinder integrated working
We need to ensure commissioning decisions are made on the basis of ‘what works’ as well as ensuring
good value for money
We need to ensure the local people have real power and influence over decision making
OUR APPROACH:
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£30m of local investment
Creation of the ‘Bank of Blackpool’
Integrated commissioning framework
Effective and inclusive governance
The ‘Better Start Policy Test’
Clear Accountability
4. Blackpool Centre for Early Child Development
Our ambition for change
Use leveraged
funding to
improve the
lives of babies
Focus Better across the
Start funding town
on identified
wards
Research and
development
in the Centre
to tell us what
works and
what might be
replicated in
other areas.
Work with
the NSPCC
and others to
share learning
and allow
more families
to benefit
from
Blackpool
Better Start.
Reflections on our learning
• Never underestimate parents’ ambition to 'make things better‘
• No hidden agendas – parents have been honest and transparent
• When communities come together with professionals, the experience
can break down boundaries and what results is a shared vision and drive
which will not easily be broken.
• Relationships are key - really understanding where each org is coming
from; what matters to individuals; letting different people lead at
different times.
• Shared problem solving as a way to build collective understanding and
common purpose - which may mean putting your own organisational
priority to one side.
• Hearing difficult messages - we've all had to do it at different times.
• Focus on doing the key things really well
Hopes and fears
Hopes and fears for the future
Fears
• Changes in public services will disrupt the current alignment of local
policies and agendas to Better Start.
• The huge financial pressure on public services
Hopes
• Transformational change – across whole workforce
• That the impact is seen for 10, 20, 30+ years.
• Our children will be proud of where they come from...they will succeed in
school…. and those who go on to University and want to come back
• That the Better Start legacy is passed on to the next generation
• That this will not only change the way we work with 0-3s but it will
change/challenge the way we deliver ALL services
• That we can help other places learn from our experience and that Better
Start will be replicated elsewhere