The quality of services designed to assist families, such as health visiting, infant feeding support and maternity care, varies considerably across the country. In response to this issue, Sir Desmond Swayne, MP, introduced a private member’s Bill, entitled The Infant Parents and Carer’s Bill to Parliament. It isn’t intended to be a revolutionary Bill. There is no provision for the creation of new services; instead, it would make services statutory that support pregnancy and childbirth, the health of infants and the relationship between infant and parent. This means that maternity support services, infant feeding services, and health visiting, would become statutory services regardless of where you live.
Furthermore, contained within the Bill are proposed duties for the Secretary of State: 1/ to define which infant support services must be available; 2/ to assess levels of need (for the service in a particular area); 3/ to ensure appropriate provision; and 4/ to report annually to Parliament about progress in those areas. This would ensure parity of services across the country.
During the second reading of the Bill, much was said in praise of ‘Family Hubs’ which exist in some areas of the UK. Family Hubs provide integrated support for families, combining health, education and early help services in one accessible location. They aim to improve outcomes from conception to age 19 (or 25 for SEND) by providing skilled help from professionals, such as health visitors. The positive thing about Family Hubs is that they seek to support the whole family. Indeed, this Bill presents an interesting development in an ongoing narrative about early childhood. Recently it has seemed that early‑years policy has been dominated by the idea that even the youngest children need access to formal childcare in order to thrive — an idea that has been reinforced by the Government’s introduction of free nursery places for 9-month-olds. This Bill tips the emphasis back towards the role of parents.
Many parents would like to have more time with their very young children, and people are increasingly aware that babies and toddlers do best when they are cared for by their parents. In a Parliamentary debate on 4th of September 2026, Rebecca Smith MP made these strikingly pro-family comments:
As we discuss earlier support, there is a little elephant in the room. Evidence consistently shows that children under the age of two need to be nurtured by their parents primarily, and I think we are all saying the same thing today, but it is my personal view that parental presence requires childcare choice. More than two thirds of working mothers with pre-school children say that they would work fewer hours if they could afford it, according to the Department for Education, but too often parents feel pushed towards a one-size-fits-all model of formal childcare. We need to explore where we can offer parents more options in the earliest years and free them up to do what they feel is best for them and their family. It is not about telling parents what to do; it is about trusting them to make the right decisions for their family. We must never forget who matters the most to the baby: it is their parents. We should do everything we can to help mums, dads and carers be present as much as possible.’
Perhaps, MP Rebecca Smith’s comments open the door to a new conversation: one in which the role of parents is considered crucial in the lives of their children. Contained within the Bill is a requirement for the Secretary of State to listen to the views of parents regarding the services they access. The Bill provides an exciting opportunity to place an emphasis on the role of parents, rather than nurseries, in the lives of children, and recognises that Government could ensure that services support parents in being the key influences in their children’s lives. This hopefully represents a shift in a narrative that has previously emphasised the role of ‘professionals’ in early child development.
ParentPower Team
