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 and the Best Start in Life Plan

The committee received a comprehensive update on early years provision in West Northamptonshire, including the findings of the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) for 2025. This assessment identified a deficit of 152 childcare places overall for September 2025, with specific shortages in certain wards for under-twos and two-year-olds. The report highlighted increasing pressures on the sector, including rising needs, insufficient funding, workforce challenges, and sustainability concerns for providers. Despite these challenges, 80% of early years settings were rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted, aligning with the national average.

The committee also considered the West Northamptonshire Council Best Start in Life Plan (2026-2028). This plan aims to improve the proportion of children achieving a 'good level of development' (GLD) by the end of reception year to 77.2% by 2028, with a specific focus on disadvantaged children, aiming for 59.9% GLD. The plan's vision is to provide every child with the best start through a joined-up, evidence-based pathway, ensuring school readiness and enabling them to reach their potential. Key themes include closing the school readiness gap, strengthening speech, language, and communication skills, reducing inequalities, and improving early health outcomes. The plan's governance will be overseen by a steering group, reporting to the Family Help Partnership Board and then the Health and Wellbeing Board.

During the discussion, concerns were raised about the correlation between areas with a shortage of early years provision and levels of deprivation. Councillors also questioned how the council would address the quality of provision in Private, Voluntary, and Independent (PVI) settings, where a significant proportion were rated below 'good'. Officers acknowledged these challenges and outlined plans to prioritise funding and support in areas with deficits, encourage expansion of provision, and work with developers to ensure childcare facilities are integrated into new housing developments. The committee agreed to receive an updated report in six months to monitor progress.

Family Help and Family Hubs

The committee received a progress update on the implementation of the West Northamptonshire Family Help Strategy and the Family Hub model. Since the first family hub opened in March 2025, five hubs and spokes have been established, with further sites planned for 2026. These hubs aim to provide a place-based, relational, and whole-family approach to support. The network has grown to 23 staff members, with integration of the Strong Start service and strong collaboration with public health, early years, and other partners. Over 50 partner organisations have been involved in delivering services from the hubs, offering a wide range of support for children aged 0-5, 5-11, and 11-19 (up to 25 for SEND).

The impact to date, based on the first nine months of delivery, shows significant engagement, with over 14,000 instances of footfall across all sites and 1,173 group sessions delivered. 387 families were referred for one-to-one support. The committee heard that the success of the hubs is being measured through various means, including case studies demonstrating how families have been diverted from statutory social care services, and qualitative feedback from parents and children. The University of Northampton has been commissioned to conduct a long-term system evaluation.

Discussions highlighted the importance of measuring the impact of family hubs beyond just attendance figures, focusing on outcomes for families needing support. Concerns were also raised about ensuring equitable access, particularly in rural areas, and the potential for a mobile outreach service was discussed. The committee was assured that the council is actively exploring outreach options and working with community and voluntary sector organisations to build trust and reach families effectively.

Youth Offer Strategy

An update was provided on the Youth Offer Strategy, which has been reworked based on feedback from members and young people. The final strategy, featuring artwork by young people, is due to be presented to Cabinet for formal sign-off. A delivery plan is being developed, with a workshop scheduled to finalise details. The committee expressed support for the strategy's collaborative, multi-agency approach, but also raised concerns about the sustainability of the strategy given the pressures on other agencies, such as the police and primary care. Assurances were given that the youth offer board is multi-agency and has a preventative agenda, and that the council is committed to securing the necessary budget for its implementation.

Annual Report and Work Programme

The committee reviewed and endorsed the draft Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report for 2025/26. This report summarises the committee's scrutiny activities and achievements over the past year. The committee also reviewed its work programme for 2025/26, agreeing to prioritise topics such as early years provision, the Best Start in Life Plan, Family Help and Family Hubs, and an update on the Youth Offer Strategy for future meetings. Members also suggested adding scrutiny of school performance and knife crime prevention to the work programme.