Local Government Association Annual Conference 2025
1 July 2025
Meeting the government's plan for change for children
On 1st July 2025, Director of Research and Grants at the 1001 Critical Days Foundation, Dr Matt Price, spoke at the Local Government Association’s Annual Conference in Liverpool. He joined Susie Owen, Director of Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis at the Department for Education, Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health at Gateshead and Newcastle City Council, and Cllr Jon Hubbard who chairs the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, and who also chaired their panel discussion.
The panel discussed the Government’s long-term mission to ‘set up every child for the best start in life’ and its plan for change, which includes a target of ensuring 75 per cent of children are ready to learn when they start school. The discussion focused on ways in which to deliver accessible, integrated maternity, baby and family support services through and beyond the first 1001 days of life; and high-quality early education and childcare to set every child up for success.
Dr Matt Price also addressed the conference separately and some excerpts from his speech are below:
Let’s Begin with Babies
We’re delighted that the government has set a bold ambition: to set up every child for the best start in life.
To this, we say very simply:
Mission Accepted.
But there’s a challenge – a quiet, persistent one. A baby blind spot.
Too often, when people talk about “children” or “families,” they’re not thinking about babies. They might picture school-age children or teenagers. But babies? They’re frequently overlooked. And that’s a problem because we know that the first 1001 days of life, from pregnancy to age two, are a critical window for development.
Why the First 1001 Days Matter
During these early days, babies’ brains are developing more rapidly than at any other point in life. Their stress response systems are forming, shaped by everyday experiences of comfort, stress and distress. Foundations for lifelong mental and physical health are being laid.
These early experiences quite literally shape the adults we will become. Of course, it’s never too late to support health and wellbeing, but it is much easier – and often more effective – to do so early on.
If we want to reduce health inequalities in the long term, the first 1001 days offer 1001 opportunities to make a difference.
Parents and Carers: The Architects of Early Life
Babies don’t grow up in isolation. Their development is shaped by the people who care for them. That’s why, if we want to give every child the best start in life, we must give every parent and carer the support they need to offer warm, consistent and “good enough” care.
One of science’s best-kept secrets is just how powerful early attachment relationships are. Babies who experience at least two secure attachment relationships tend to have the best long-term outcomes.
That tells us something important: babies need networks of support, safe and consistent care from multiple people who see them, respond to them and nurture them. That’s why supporting the wider family and community around a baby is so vital.
So, How Do We Do This?
There are three things we can do right now:
Put the “family” into Family Hubs. Every parent or carer who needs support in the first 1001 days should be able to access it easily, without stigma or confusion. Family Hubs must be genuinely family-centred — and baby-aware.
Join up leadership. Local authorities, health services and the voluntary sector must work together to become the network around families — strong, connected and responsive.
Mind our language. Words matter. Let’s stop saying “children and young people” when we mean to include babies too. If we want to tackle the baby blind spot, we must name it. Including “babies, children and young people” in our policies and plans helps shine a light on their unique needs.
