Reducing Inequality for Children and Families: Insights from The National Lottery Community Fund's A Better Start programme

Introduction

This report looks at how A Better Start (ABS) is helping to reduce inequalities that affect babies, young children and families. It explains why tackling inequality early matters and shares examples from ABS areas.

It’s for funders, policymakers and early‑years organisations working to improve outcomes for children facing disadvantage.

Findings

The report shows that inequalities in areas such as, poverty, health, housing and access to services can affect children long before they start school. These inequalities influence diet and nutrition, language development and social-emotional wellbeing.

ABS partnerships are taking targeted approaches to reduce these gaps. For example, improving maternity care in Lambeth and supporting early language development in Bradford. It also includes providing early support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Southend.

The report highlights that:

• acknowledging and addressing systemic poverty and inequality is necessary to begin reducing the inequalities present across all health indicators from conception through the early years
  

• intersectionality provides a helpful framework, given that many families experience multiple disadvantages which exacerbates poor outcomes
  

• there are multiple ways in which services supporting families can address some of the negative impacts of inequality. This includes responding to local needs and having a sound understanding of the communities they serve
  

• services and professionals supporting families should have a clear understanding of intersectionality and how different forms of inequality mediate experiences