A Better Start: helping shape thinking on parental leave and dad-inclusive practice

From local learning to national influence

Earlier this year, A Better Start was invited to give oral evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee’s Inquiry on Paternity and Shared Parental Leave.

This invitation followed our submission of written evidence, which drew on the rich learning and lived experiences from A Better Start partnerships across England.

The policy context

The Inquiry came at a pivotal time. Both the Labour Party’s Plan to ‘Make Work Pay’ and the government’s ‘Next Steps to Make Work Pay’ White Paper have recognised that the current parental leave system isn’t working for many families. With a full review of parental leave in progress, the Committee’s inquiry aimed to directly inform the government’s upcoming reforms.

Informed by our evidence, we find:

• fathers want and need to be more involved, so reforms should normalise and support this
• parental leave policy directly influences child development and family wellbeing in the first 1,001 days
• services and support for parents are more effective if co-produced with them

Tangible impact: A Better Start evidence in the Committee’s report

The Committee’s final report cited A Better Start’s evidence a number of times, including the official recommendations, highlighting the Partnerships’ impact in local communities. The key A Better Start contributions included:

• emphasising the need to bridge support between mothers and fathers, challenge stigma around fathers as caregivers, and promote their vital role in child development
• recommending training for local authorities, third sector, and NHS providers, as well as bespoke services and supportive spaces for fathers
• asking that government ‘consider the benefits of commissioning schemes of this nature across the country’, recognising the value of the A Better Start approach

Why this matters?

This is more than just a mention in a report. It’s a clear example of how local innovation can feed into national policy.

There are a host of initiatives developed by A Better Start partnerships to support and celebrate the role of dads.

Here is a snapshot of a few pieces of work:

• the case study, Reaching dads through maternity services and workforce training, shows the work that has been done by Blackpool Better Start to reach and engage fathers in Blackpool
• the case study, New dads in Nottingham - an information pack for new fathers by Small Steps Big Changes in Nottingham, showcases their strategy to ensure dads feel supported in their parenting role by distributing an information pack to new fathers
• Better Start Bradford’s dads’ engagement work in the case study, Hitting the nail on the head and successfully engaging Dads in Bradford, has successfully engaged with dads with children in their early years by providing woodworking classes
• the case study from A Better Start Southend, looks at the success their community event Dads' health matters had in keeping dads in Southend both happy and healthy

You can find more insights in over 200 case studies on in our archive.

[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Publications: A Better Start

What's next?

We’ll continue to share A Better Start’s important learning with officials developing policy around parental leave, dad-inclusive practice and the early years.

While we’re delighted that our evidence has made a tangible impact on the Committee’s recommendations, as government prepares to review and reform parental leave, we will continue to share learning from A Better Start with officials and parliamentarians. The aim is to help create a system that truly supports all families and gives every child the best start in life.

Further information

Research in Practice has also produced information on father-inclusive practice and working with men and boys, including: 

• Working with men in Leeds: Journey Project 
• Working with men in Leeds: Caring Dads
• Working effectively with minoritised men
• Future men

About A Better Start

A Better Start is a ten-year project set-up by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.

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Five A Better Start partnerships based in Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham and Southend are supporting families to give their babies and very young children the best possible start in life. Working with local parents, the A Better Start partnerships are developing and testing ways to improve their children’s diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, and speech, language and communication.

The National Children’s Bureau is coordinating an ambitious programme of shared learning for A Better Start, disseminating the partnerships’ experiences in creating innovative services far and wide, so that others working in early childhood development or place-based systems change can benefit.

The National Children's Bureau - A Better Start