High Wycombe and Burnham families will soon have access to enhanced early years support following the approval of two new Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH). Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet confirmed the plans on Tuesday, marking a significant expansion of the local “Best Start in Life” programme designed to support children from birth through their transition into primary school.
The initiative aims to provide a centralized point of contact for parents, offering everything from health clinics to specialized education support. By bringing these services under one roof, the council intends to improve early years development outcomes and ensure children are better prepared for their first day of school.
New support locations for High Wycombe and Burnham
The two new hubs are strategically placed to reach families in areas with the highest need for integrated services. In Burnham, the council will repurpose the existing Adult Services Day Centre to house the new hub. This site will undergo a transition to accommodate the specific requirements of early years service delivery, including spaces for clinical visits and community learning.
In High Wycombe, the search for a suitable location is currently underway. The council is identifying a site that offers maximum accessibility for local parents, ensuring that midwifery, health visiting, and parenting programmes are within easy reach. These hubs are designed to be more than just administrative offices; they function as community spaces where parents can access coordinated intervention for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or other developmental requirements.
Reaching the 80% early years development target
A primary driver for this expansion is the ambitious goal for children in Buckinghamshire to achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) by the end of their reception year. The council has set a target for 80% of children to meet this benchmark by the 2027/28 academic year. This metric tracks essential milestones in physical, emotional, and cognitive growth that dictate a child’s readiness for formal education.
Data from the council indicates that children eligible for free school meals currently face the largest gap in achieving these milestones. The Best Start Family Hubs will focus heavily on preventative support for these families, offering parenting programmes that strengthen the home learning environment. The initiative follows similar successful rollouts across the region, including new Northampton library hub to streamline family and SEND support, which utilizes a similar integrated service model to bridge development gaps.
Integrated services for SEND and health visiting
The hub model represents a shift toward “joined-up” service delivery. Instead of visiting multiple locations across the county, families can access a comprehensive package of support in one place. This includes direct access to health professionals, such as midwives and health visitors, alongside council-led family support workers.
Carl Jackson, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, noted that the decision builds on the opening of the first hub in Elmhurst, Aylesbury, earlier this year. The hubs are part of a national framework requiring local authorities to strengthen early years services. By focusing on the first 1,001 days of a child’s life, the council hopes to reduce the need for more intensive interventions later in childhood.
Beyond basic health checks, the hubs will host sessions focused on speech and language development, social skills, and emotional resilience. For families navigating the SEND system, the hubs will provide a clearer pathway to support, helping to identify developmental needs earlier and coordinating the necessary help between health and education providers.
Source: Buckinghamshire Council
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