Best start in life
During the period from conception to age two, babies are especially vulnerable to their environment. What happens in pregnancy and early childhood impacts on physical and emotional health through to adulthood.
Supporting good maternal health is important for safe delivery and good birth weight and gives babies the best start possible.
The first 1,001 days are when the foundations of the brain are built. Emotional health, physical wellbeing, social skills, cognitive and verbal abilities that develop in these days form the foundations for an individual’s success in school and in later life: GOV.UK The Best Start for Life, 2021.
You can read the outcomes of the South Gloucestershire Children and Young People’s Needs Assessment 2023 (CYP NA). This has been led by South Gloucestershire Public Health and we have worked with a multi-agency working group of teams and organisations including the NHS, provider and voluntary sector organisations.
The CYP NA uses lots of information to give insight into priorities and provides recommendations so that we can support children, young people and their families.
Data dashboard
An in-depth dashboard on this topic area is in development.
Headline data can be found on the Our population page.
Resources
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID): Fingertips public health data – Child and Maternal Health profile.
- HM Government: The Best Start in Life – A vision for the 1001 critical days.
- NHS: The Long Term Plan, 2019.
- NHS: e-learning for healthcare – Healthy Pregnancy Pathway.
- Public Health England: Vulnerability in childhood – a public health informed approach.
- Health and Wellbeing Online Pupil Survey 2021: Summary report for South Gloucestershire Council 2022
- Early Help Strategy 2019 – 2024
- Children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing strategy 2016 – 2021
- Public Health England, Wider Impacts of COVID-19: Health needs assessment intelligence pack for local health partners, Children and Young People
- Children’s Commissioner, The Big Ask: Big answers, 2021