HOW DID YOUR FIRST MEETING GO?
It was a great meeting, and I was so delighted at the passion from all parties to make sure we get policies right to support babies. It was extra special to have one of our officers bring her very new baby along too. This new parliament has welcomed many new MPs who have young families, so we have a huge opportunity to represent those families in a far greater way than I feel has previously been managed. The inaugural meeting was held at the end of October to elect officers, confirm the purpose of the group and begin formulating its focus and plans for the year ahead.
Key discussion points included childcare funding and babies' needs, the future of the Start for Life programme and Family Hubs, Sure Start Support, healthcare training and infant feeding.
WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN THE APPG?
I have young children and I think like many parents I've been dismayed at how little attention is given to the first 1,001 days of a child's life when we know the long-term impact of that early experience is huge. While I had some excellent midwives and was very grateful to online communities, I think far more needs to be done to ensure parents have the support they need to provide the optimum development for their children. And I think policy-makers need to be braver in looking at the long-term return from investing more heavily in the first few years.
WHAT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THE APPG?
The APPG for Babies focuses on the wellbeing and outcomes of babies in their first 1,001 days. There are a number of other APPGs who we work closely with that look at other angles of the same issue. We're also looking to reform the APPG for Early Years, which will provide a more direct route for childcare providers to engage in policy.
The APPG for Babies will ensure the needs of the child are a thread that is considered throughout policy changes made in the next few years.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
We hope to help Government understand that supporting babies is key to realising the Government's opportunity mission. We aim to help Government make informed decisions about early years policy, grounded in evidence and the experience of families, babies and professionals.
I think the big dream would be to have Family Hubs extended to a far wider range of areas, and to see the network take of again and have the impact that we saw Sure Start have back in the day, but even more focused and effective.
WILL YOU BE PUTTING TOGETHER ANY REPORTS?
At the inaugural meeting we talked about discrepancies in local authority funding and whether we might be able to do a joint inquiry with relevant APPGs. We are creating a draft workplan to bring these initial ideas together.
WHEN IS YOUR NEXT MEETING AND WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA?
There is no date set, but since the meeting in October we have written to the minister about Start for Life and asked questions in Parliament. We were delighted to see the extension of Start for Life funding for another year following this. Now we are keen to engage with both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education on their longer-term plans. We plan to meet with ministers, but are also looking to bring together those who have previously worked in this space to provide continuity. I'm a believer in not reinventing the wheel, so I'm keen to understand what hasn't worked in the past and why.
Getting to know you…
Did you always want to be an MP?
Not at all! I'm a doer and what I love most is finding blockers to problems and getting things moving. I used to work in local government, but I got so frustrated at the way politics didn't seem to give anywhere near enough attention to working families and the infrastructure around them. So I decided to try and get in the driving seat.
What was your first job?
My first full-time job was working as a marketing assistant in a theatre. Theatre and singing were my first love. Performing and the arts are so critical to building confidence and creativity – which is exactly what we need in this country to drive innovation-led growth.
If you had an Aladdin's lamp, what three wishes would you make?
- A properly funded UK childcare system (of course) that allows care providers to support children to thrive.
- To have seen my dad's face when I became an MP (he passed away in 2019).
- A four-day week to become standard, so we all enough have time for our communities, families and our planet.
What couldn't you live without?
I'm always amazed at what people manage to live through, so I think we can always find something to live for. But most important for me are the people around me who always keep me going, and fresh countryside air.
