Home-Start UK have joined Best Beginnings and the Parent-Infant Foundation to reveal key findings from an online survey of over 5,000 parents that highlight the chronic under resourcing of services for families, the inequalities in babies’ early experiences and its worsening forecast due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three charities – who all work to improve outcomes for parents and children with a focus on the early years – warn that many families with lower incomes, young parents and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, will have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
Many of the outcomes and stories included in the full report align with the experiences in our communities across Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, including in a short family survey we conducted earlier in the COVID19 lockdown. Some main factors include worries over parental mental health, relationships with babies and infants, availability of the right support and concerns about the future.
The report is UK-wide, giving an indication of services, supports and experiences across the nations. We look forward to considering the information and experiences in our own services and in calling for the change and investment needed to ensure all families receive the right support through pregnancy, at birth and right through the early years for all the family.
You can read the full report online here (opens in an external site).