Last week, NCB brought together around 100 senior leaders from across the children’s sector to discuss the government’s ambition to give all children the best start in life and to shape an early years vision from conception to reception.
One of the participants in that meeting was Clare Law, Director of Blackpool Better Start. Here, Clare shares her reflections on the event and outlines what she believes should be the focus over the coming weeks and months.
In a world that often celebrates individual brilliance, it’s easy to overlook the quiet, transformative power of collaboration.
But at the Early Years Summit last week, NCB curated more than just a guest list—they brought together a collective force ready to make real noise.
The purpose of the day was clear. We weren’t just there to talk—we were there to act. This was a moment to harness the momentum we’ve all worked so hard to build, and to shape a bold, unified vision for the early years.
With growing Government commitment to raising the healthiest generation ever, the time is ripe to influence the scope and delivery of a cross-government Best Start in Life strategy.
Justin Russell, Director General at the Department for Education, opened the day with a speech that struck the perfect balance: full of optimism and ambition, yet grounded in the reality of the challenges ahead. His words set the tone—not just for the day, but for the work that lies ahead.
This wasn’t just a summit. It was a statement. A reminder that when we come together—across sectors, disciplines, and perspectives—we don’t just add value. We multiply it.
There was strong support in the room for the milestone of increasing the number of children reaching a Good Level of Development. But there was also healthy, necessary challenge. Important questions were raised:
- How do we ensure this target doesn’t narrow our focus?
- How do we continue to address inequalities for all children?
- How do we retain a focus on the important first 1,001 days?
- And how do we give the wider determinants of health and wellbeing the attention they so urgently deserve?
This wasn’t just a summit. It was a statement. A reminder that when we come together—across sectors, disciplines, and perspectives—we don’t just add value. We multiply it.
This is exactly what we’ve learned through a decade of delivering the Better Start programme in Blackpool.
The search for a single silver bullet is a red herring. Real, lasting change for childhoods happens when we bring all actors together, greater than the sum of their parts, and create the right foundations—foundations that allow policies, services, and communities to do what they do best.
The Early Years Summit was a moment that mirrored our marathon in Blackpool. In just a few hours, we built a shared vision, embraced diverse perspectives, balanced research, data, and lived experience, acknowledged the challenges facing the workforce, and—most importantly—kept babies, young children, and parents at the heart of every conversation.
But this is, indeed, a marathon—not a sprint.
A guarantee on funding in the upcoming Spending Review is essential to ensure that we build on this momentum, move beyond the summit and make collective commitment evolve into long-term, sustainable action and a better start for every child.