Our Best Start Local Plan 2026-29

Our system assets and enablers include:  

• comprehensive 'Healthy Babies' offer supporting the foundations for child development - our building blocks for health and wellbeing in the 'Best Start' life phase
• stable HDFT 0-19 commissioning (Section 75) arrangement in place to provide the Healthy Child Programme
• strong collaboration with voluntary and community sector organisations providing family support in our communities of highest need, including significant investment in support for young fathers with a national profile for achieving positive outcomes
• Gateshead is a Marmot Place - committed to interventions and policies which reduce health inequalities and embed health equity approaches into local systems
• robust, strategic governance provided by the Gateshead Early Help System and Prevention Board
• rigorous data and performance arrangements are in place, including the Gateshead Early Help Dashboard 
• total of 38 nursery provisions in maintained schools, 8 in academies and 3 in independent schools - 1 nursery provider operates over two sites 
• 23 pre-schools, 30-day nurseries and 50 childminders 
• 14 Libraries - 8 operated by the Local Authority and 6 by volunteer associations; 4 are co-located with Family Hubs 
• 68 nursery, infant, junior and primary schools - with 62 Additionally Resourced Mainstream Settings (ARMS) available in primary schools  
• existing and scalable menu of evidence-based interventions available for parents/carers and their children - Triple P, Incredible Years, Early Words 
• a comprehensive Family Learning offer enables adults to develop skills and confidence in supporting their child's learning - sessions include Number/Story Sacks, Phonics, Chatterboxes and the Ready for Reception programme
• use of Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM), Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) and Neonatal Behavioural Observation (NBO) interventions by health visiting teams
• NHS speech and language services deliver support out of Family Hub settings
• Gateshead is 1 of 3 areas nationally to pilot the BSiL communication resources
• the Family Information Service (FIS) is well-established and maintains an online 0-5 Virtual Learning Hub with key information for the local Early Years sector
• local providers have developed proposals to introduce a Stronger Practice Hub

Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust

Gateshead maternity services are co-located at 4 Family Hubs and provide a range of support, including contraception, immunisations and 'Parentcraft' sessions. The service is working towards UNICEF Level 3 BAby Friendly accreditation and recently (December 2025) achieved the top score in the CQC National Maternity Survey for patient experience. The Trust continues to provide a homebirth service.

Our performance strengths across the local early years system include: 

• first 'Transformation' wave of local authorities to implement the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme from 2022/23 
• Ofsted (December 2024) describe Gateshead Family Hubs as providing, "a comprehensive all-age offer for families. The use of outreach locations and targeted resources ensures that the most vulnerable, with the highest level of need, are reached by services." 
• all registered Early Years settings in Gateshead are rated as 'Outstanding' or 'Good' by Ofsted 
• antenatal and new birth visits within 14 days recorded at 97.4% 
• completion of Healthy Child Programme reviews at 6-8 weeks (96.7%), 9-12 months (96.1%) and 2 - 2.5 years (97%) are also significantly above national averages, and at 96.9% for ASQ-3 completion  
• take-up of early years places for disadvantaged families at 2 years (66%) and 3 to 4 years (102%) are all above the national average
• national recognition from the National Literacy Trust for impact of Early Words Together programme delivery by Family Hubs and Library Service

Growing Healthy Gateshead  

Harrogate and District Foundation Trust (HDFT) are commissioned to deliver the Healthy Child Programme in Gateshead and are a key partner in the local Best Start offer. Co-located at two Family Hubs but working across all centres, 'Growing Healthy Gateshead' are UNICEF Level 3 Baby Friendly accredited - now working towards UNICEF Gold Award - and provide:  

• infant feeding team - peer support workers make proactive calls from 10 to 14 days until 6 to 8 weeks postnatal, positively impacting feeding rates at 6 to 8 weeks - up by 3.8% between 2023/24 to 2024/25 - and facilitating the 'Building a happy baby' antenatal group, 'Feeding Friends' sessions, a complex feeding clinic and bespoke/individual feeding plans
• specialist health visitor for perinatal mental health - personalised support using a range of interventions, including Video Interactive Guidance (VIG), Ready to Relate and Newborn Assessment Scale (NBAS) and Circle of Secure Parenting
• the Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO) is now offered universally by health visitors at the new birth and/or 6 to 8 week contact