Purpose

• The Government announced the continuation and
expansion of Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme
through the Best Start Family Hubs Programme from 1st
April 2026 to 31st March 2029 and has set out its
commitment in the Plan for Change to give all children the
best start in life.
• The Giving every child the best start in life strategy (2025)
sets out the Government’s commitment to improve child
development and increase the Good Level of Development
(GLD) of all children to 75% by 2028, recognising school
readiness gaps open early and drive later inequalities. This
strategy is part of a decade-long reform to build a fairer,
healthier, and more prosperous society.
• Supporting children affected by parent/carer imprisonment
is one of the wider service expectations of the Best Start
Family Hubs programme. This includes supporting families
to understand the impacts of parent/carer imprisonment so
that they are better equipped to raise and discuss this with
their children. It also includes connecting families and
children to appropriate services as required, including
services within Best Start Family Hubs.
• There are a number of Best Start Family Hubs minimum
expectations and ‘go further’ standards that relate to
supporting children, and their families, impacted by parental
imprisonment. These include, but are not limited to,
working closely with criminal justice partners to ensure
families in contact with the criminal justice system receive
tailored, appropriate support, raising awareness of support
available for children and families affected by parent/carer
imprisonment and Family Link Workers providing support
within prisons.
• The Best Start Family Hubs delivery plan, approved by the
Executive Director for Children’s Services and submitted to
the Department for Education (DfE) includes a Family Link
Worker pilot within Lincolnshire prisons and “Being Dad”
courses to support dads or those in a care-giving role within
the criminal justice system to improve their parenting skills
and understand the development of their children.
• Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) is already an established
resettlement and rehabilitative provider, delivering
evidence-based interventions with individuals in contact
with the criminal justice system, and with their families and
significant others. This includes prison-based family
support.
• Best Start Family Hubs Triage Link Workers will work across
HMP Lincoln, HMP Morton Hall and HMP North Sea Camp.
This pilot will enhance LAT’s family support offer to ensure
Lincolnshire families and their children impacted by a
parent/carer imprisonment receive seamless, tailored and
appropriate support. It will also ensure they are connected
to services available within their local Best Start Family Hub
or their wider Family Hub network.
• Legal Services have advised that this project can be
delivered through a Grant Funding Agreement as it is a pilot.

Decision

That the Executive Director of Children’s Services, in
consultation with the Executive Councillor for Children’s
Services, approves the entering into a Grant Funding
Agreement with Lincolnshire Action Trust (LAT) for the
delivery of a Best Start Family Hubs family support pilot for
children affected by parent/carer imprisonment.
The grant funding agreement will be from 1st August 2026 to
31st March 2029.
The annual value of the agreement will be £83,167 in 2026/27
financial year (8 months). The overall value of the agreement
will be up to £358,120 (if inflationary uplifts applied).

Alternative options considered

Do nothing: this was not a viable option. To do nothing would
impact on the Council being able to meet the minimum and go
further standards of the Best Start Family Hubs Programme in
relation to supporting children impacted by parent/carer
imprisonment. It would also mean that the Council would not
be able to fully meet its delivery plan submitted to the DfE and
may negatively impact on Lincolnshire’s Best Start Family Hubs
funding allocation.
Commission through a competitive procurement process: this
was not considered a viable option. This is a pilot which is
building upon LAT’s family support offer in Lincolnshire prisons.
Desktop market research has shown that LAT are the primary
provider commissioned by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation
Service/Ministry of Justice to provide Prisoner, Family and
Significant Other Support Services in Lincolnshire prisons.
Although there are two other organisations providing support in
prisons they work across East Midlands and/or the East of
England and are not specifically commissioned to provide family
services in Lincolnshire prisons. As LAT already provide family
support in Lincolnshire prisons, and entering into a grant
funding agreement with LAT for this pilot is allowed for under
Section 1(1) of the Localism Act 2011, it would not be best use
of officer’s time to undertake a competitive procurement
process. Officer time would be better invested in supporting
this pilot to develop the Best Start Family Hubs Programme in
Lincolnshire.