The Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 28 April 2026 to discuss early years provision, the Best Start in Life plan, and progress on family help and family hubs. The committee also reviewed its annual report and work programme.

Early Years Provision

The committee received an update on early years provision in West Northamptonshire, highlighting the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) for 2025. This mandatory report identifies gaps in childcare supply and demand to inform strategic planning. The assessment indicated an overall sufficiency of places for 3 and 4-year-olds, but significant deficits were noted in the Castle ward (-193 places) and Billing and Rectory Farm ward (-123 places). A deficit of 422 places for under-2s was also identified, with the highest need in Billing and Rectory Farm, Castle, Kingsthorpe South, and Sixfields wards. Similar deficits were observed for 2-year-olds (-189 places).

Providers highlighted increasing pressures, including rising need, insufficient funding, workforce challenges, and sustainability concerns. The report noted that while 80% of providers were rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted, this left a significant proportion requiring improvement. The committee was informed that the council was working to address these gaps by prioritising funding and encouraging expansion, but acknowledged challenges around workforce development and wider inclusion. Councillor Hebbin raised concerns about the impact of new housing developments on early years provision, and officers confirmed close collaboration with the planning department to project future needs and utilise Section 106 funding for new provision. Councillor Woodridge highlighted the correlation between areas with a shortage of early years provision and levels of deprivation, and officers stated that these priority areas were being targeted. The committee agreed to receive an updated report in six months.

Best Start in Life Plan

The committee considered West Northamptonshire Council's Best Start in Life Plan, a local response to the government's strategy to ensure all children have the best start. The plan aims to improve the proportion of children achieving a good level of development (GLD) by the end of reception year from the current 70.3% to 77.2% by 2028. A key focus is ensuring disadvantaged children benefit equally, with a target of at least 59.9% achieving GLD. The plan's vision is to provide every child with a joined-up, evidence-based pathway to be school-ready and reach their potential.

Key themes include closing readiness gaps, improving speech, language, and communication skills, reducing inequalities, strengthening early intervention, and providing accessible, integrated family support. Seven priorities have been identified, including strengthening speech, language, and communication skills, improving writing outcomes, reducing inequalities, enhancing early identification and intervention through health reviews, improving early health outcomes, strengthening the home learning environment, and implementing a no wrong door approach to accessing support. The plan's enablers include strategic buy-in, consistency, communication, a skilled workforce, data sharing, strong leadership, and co-production. The committee discussed the target for disadvantaged children, with Councillor Aldridge questioning why it was set lower than the overall target and encouraging the council to aim higher. Louisa Jones, Head of SEND, explained that the targets were set by the Department for Education but assured the committee that the council would strive to exceed them. Concerns were also raised about children not being clean and dry upon starting school, and officers confirmed collaboration with health visiting services and family hubs to address this. Councillor Ashraf emphasised the need for early parental education and investment in community groups. The committee agreed to receive an updated report on the delivery plan in six months.

Family Help and Family Hubs

The committee received an update on the progress of West Northamptonshire's Family Help Strategy and Family Hub model. The Family Help Strategy, launched in November 2025, adopts a joined-up, multi-agency approach to prevention, early help, and safeguarding. It aligns with other council and system priorities, including the Youth Offer Strategy and the Best Start in Life Plan. The strategy is driven by a Family Help Partnership Board with five key workstreams: digital and communications, integration of services, family hubs, research and innovation, and workforce development.

A network of Family Hubs and spokes (outreach locations) has been established, with five sites opened between March and December 2025, and further sites planned for 2026. Locations are chosen based on deprivation data, community assets, and transport access. The service has recruited a workforce of 23, with plans for growth, and has integrated the Strong Start (0-5) service. Over 50 partner organisations are actively involved in delivering services from the hubs. The hubs offer a range of support for different age groups, including sensory sessions, baby massage, sleep workshops, school readiness programmes, SEND support, and youth services. In the first nine months of delivery, there was a total footfall of 14,309, with 387 families referred for one-to-one support. Councillor Packer congratulated the team on their work and inquired about the progress of the Talavera hub, receiving assurance that an interim solution was being sought. Councillor Owens and Aldridge raised questions about how the success of family hubs would be measured, and officers confirmed that case studies and qualitative data were being collected, with the University of Northampton commissioned for a long-term evaluation. Councillor Aldridge also suggested proactively exploring existing spaces for outreach. The committee noted the report and expressed support for the approach being taken.

Other Business

The committee also reviewed and approved its draft annual report for 2025/26 and noted its work programme for the upcoming year. The annual report highlighted the committee's scrutiny of areas such as SEND provision, housing stock management, early years, and child and adolescent mental health services. The work programme for 2026/27 will include further scrutiny of early years, family help and family hubs, and the youth offer strategy. The committee also agreed to consider further scrutiny of child and adolescent mental health services, particularly regarding staffing capacity and the impact of vacancies.