Third of low-income families struggling to access early years help

Help with their child’s development and parenting skills are among areas of support that 35 per cent of disadvantaged families are struggling to access, a report by charity Action for Children is warning.

It also found that low-income parents are 40 per cent more likely to have problems accessing early years support in comparison to their more affluent peers.

• How I Got Here: Debra Barton, early years specialist lead, Ministry of Defence

• Supporting Families gets major revamp

Black, Asian and minority ethnic parents are among those who are most likely to have difficulty accessing early years help. Younger parents and fathers are among other groups to be hardest hit, said Action for Children.

Two-thirds of parents said they want more high-quality support with the parenting, the survey added.

Lack of free services as well as “the crippling cost of fuel or public transport” are among barriers they are facing, said the charity.

More than a quarter of low-income parents said early years support services “were simply not available” in their local area. 

The survey found that 42 per cent of all parents of pre-school age children had struggled or been unable to access at least one parenting support service over the past five years.

The next Prime Minister is being called on by the charity to ensure all families have access to early years support locally as part of the government’s levelling up agenda.

Greater investment is needed in parenting support, it said.

Over 1⃣/3⃣ of low-income families are struggling to access vital parenting and child development support.

We're calling on the next prime minister to provide early years services for ALL families.

Sign our letter to the government today: https://t.co/KC83g5AXDn

2/2 pic.twitter.com/UNMzN2jq5I

— Action for Children (@actnforchildren) August 23, 2022

Lack of access is already impacting on parents’ mental health, Action for Children added.

Four in ten parents told that charity that poor access to help had left them feeling isolated or lonely and impacted their emotional wellbeing.

More than a third are concerned about their ability to deal with their child’s behaviour and are feeling “scared, daunted or anxious” about parenting. 

Some 35 per cent said  they have concerns around their housing, finance and work situation which is further increasing pressures in family life.

Action for children’s survey also highlights how vital support is to parents. Around a third of those who had accesses support had gone on to access further help. The charity estimates that 415,979 parents were likely to miss out on this extra help due to lack of access to early support.

“We know from our own frontline services that helping families as early as possible is more effective in the long-run so investing in high quality child support and parenting programmes in every community should be a core part of the ‘levelling-up’ agenda,” said Rossanna Trudgian, Action for Children’s head of campaigns and public affairs.

“We urge the next Prime Minister to take urgent action to deliver a long-term plan for early years services with sustained investment in parenting support to ensure every child gets the foundations they need to thrive.”

Early Years Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said the report is “disappointing but sadly wholly unsurprising”.

“Now more than ever, amid rocketing energy prices and soaring inflation, children and their families need support,” he said.

“For all the government rhetoric on ‘closing the gap’, ‘improving life chances’ and ‘levelling up’, words alone are not enough to change the outlook for low-income families.

“If ministers are genuinely committed to ensuring that children and families are able to access the early support they need, they must invest in the services that deliver this.”

Meanwhile, Education Endowment Foundation chief executive Becky Francis warned that lack of access to early years support fuels an attainment gap that “widens throughout school”.

“Access to high-quality early years education is an important step in ending entrenched education inequality in England,” she said.

“It can play a vital role in making that sure that all children are given the best possible chance of thriving at school, regardless of their background.”

National Day Nurseries Association chief executive Purnima Tanuku warned that “many nurseries are having to close for good” due to government underfunding.

“Our nursery closures research repeatedly shows that providers in areas of deprivation are struggling the most and this is where children have the most to gain from their sessions,” she said.

“Making sure all children have access to high quality early education and care should be a priority for government: it must be a right and not a luxury.”