Measuring success and impact
Success of the Best Start in Life Plan will be measured through a combination of population-level outcomes, service performance indicators, and parent and practitioner feedback, ensuring that improvements are visible both in children’s development and in the experiences of families accessing support.
A shared multi‑agency performance framework will allow partners across health, Family Hubs, early education, and the voluntary sector to track progress, identify inequalities and take action quickly where improvement is needed.
Child development and school readiness outcomes
These indicators will track whether children are developing the foundations needed for learning, health, and wellbeing:
- Good Level of Development (GLD) at end of Reception
- early communication and language outcomes, including rates of children requiring SALT referral
- progress in social, emotional, and self-regulation skills
- reduction in inequalities between localities and between disadvantaged and non‑disadvantaged children
Health and 1001 days outcomes
Monitoring early health and development will be central to understanding system impact:
- breastfeeding initiation and continuation at 8–10 days and 6–8 weeks
- healthy weight, infant feeding, and growth markers
- timeliness of developmental reviews (ASQ/SOGS) Safer sleep awareness and reduction in risk factors
- perinatal and parental mental health support access
Family access, engagement and experience
These indicators focus on how effectively the Early Years system reaches and supports families:
- registration and engagement with Family Hubs, especially for 0-2s
- uptake of universal, targeted and specialist offers (e.g., parenting support, speech and language pathways)
- time taken from referral to first contact
- parent-reported experience (surveys, focus groups, Family Hub feedback)
- digital engagement with online guidance, videos and bitesize contents
System integration and delivery measures
These monitor how well the Early Years system works together:
- timeliness and consistency of data sharing (antenatal, live birth, speech and language
- joint working across health, Family Hubs, maternity, early education and voluntary sector
- implementation of the graduated approach across early years
- uptake and consistency of multi-agency workforce training
- reduction in duplication (for example, assessment tools, referral steps)
Workforce development and quality of practice
Impact will also be seen through a confident, skilled workforce:
- number of practitioners trained through direct delivery and commissioned programmes
- fidelity and quality of evidence‑based parenting and early communication offers
- observed improvements in practice through audits and locality reviews
- consistency of messaging across agencies (behaviour, sleep, screen time, attachment, development)
How progress will be reported:
- a BSIL Performance Dashboard will be reviewed quarterly by the Steering Group
- Key indicators will be escalated to the Children, Young People and Education Committee for oversight
- Locality dashboards will support targeted improvement work in Family Hubs.