‘Healthy Babies’ programme to be expanded across England
The ‘Healthy Babies’ programme will be expanded to reach every local authority in England
30 September 2026
More families across England will soon benefit from the ‘Healthy Babies’ programme, following today’s announcement by Health Secretary Yvette Cooper which set out the programme’s expansion to reach every local authority in England.
The first years of a child’s life set the foundations for their future. This step, along with the recent expansion of Best Start Family Hubs, reflects important investments in early childhood. Together, these changes will create a fairer, healthier start for babies and young children across the country, and make sure more families have access to local support.
Healthy Babies services provide vital support for infant feeding, perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationships, health visiting, and SEND.
UNICEF UK has been calling on the Government to take this crucial step. Every baby and child, in every community, has a right to the best possible health.
Shereen Fisher, Programme Director, UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative said:
We welcome this commitment by Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to extending the Healthy Babies programme across England.
Investing in early support for families is one of the most effective ways to improve infant and maternal health, strengthen parent-infant relationships and reduce health disparities.
Reaching every local authority in England with evidence-based services is a positive and ambitious step towards giving every family the support they need during the critical first years of a child's life.
Families need timely, skilled and compassionate infant feeding support – but access remains inconsistent.
Our policy paper explores the urgent need for a coordinated national approach to infant feeding education, alongside investment in specialist training and increased recognition of infant feeding and lactation care as a specialist area of practice.
Download our policy paper now:
