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Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

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A new era of integration in the early years

In A fairer start

15 Jul 2025 15:30 – 17:00

Online and in person, EC4Y 0DS

Free

Babies and young children growing up in poverty are less likely to live a long, fulfilling and happy life than their peers. But early support for parents and families, through integrated services like Sure Start, can mitigate the detrimental impacts of low income on life chances.

Since 2010, funding support for these initiatives in England has dramatically eroded. New initiatives, such as Family Hubs or Start for Life, are welcome in re-invigorating the idea of family-centred approaches, but to drive a step change in children's outcomes, we need a bolder, long-term ambition for joined up family support.

We’re calling for a new era of integrated family support in England. Our new national policy framework, created in partnership with the Ethos Foundation, brings together the views of families and the sector, alongside a robust evidence review, to inform a long-term policy vision for the design and governance of joined-up family support services.

On Tuesday 15 July 15:30-17:00 BST we’re gathering experts across the early years sector to share insights, learnings and recommendations from our new report.

Join us at Nesta’s central London offices to find out how industry leaders can work together to make sure timely, effective support reaches young children and families most in need in England. We’ll be presenting our findings alongside project partners and stakeholders, followed by a networking drinks reception on our 6th floor balcony overlooking the Thames. There will also be an option to join online for those who cannot make it in person.

This event is for policymakers, senior decision makers in local authorities and health organisations, early years professionals and practitioners, civic leaders, and the early years research and innovation community.

Sarah Cattan

She/her

Sarah leads Nesta's a fairer start mission. Sarah is an economist with over a decade of experience conducting policy-relevant research on early childhood development and policy. Before joining Nesta, Sarah worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) for 11 years, where she led their work on education and skills. Sarah has conducted influential work on key national early years policies in the UK, including Sure Start, the free entitlement to childcare and the Family Nurse Partnership. She has also worked closely with a number of local authorities and children's charities to adapt and experimentally evaluate interventions aimed at improving the outcomes of disadvantaged children and young people. During Covid-19, Sarah also led a major study looking at the impact of the pandemic on children's learning and wellbeing. Sarah has written widely about inequalities in children's outcomes and published research in top scientific journals. While at the IFS, Sarah also worked as a teaching fellow at University College London. She has a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

Lucy Kraftman

She/her

Lucy works as a senior analyst in the fairer start mission. Before joining Nesta, Lucy has worked as a Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a Lead Analyst at the Department for Education, she has also worked as a freelance quantitative analyst. Her work has focused around research on inequalities in early years and education to provide evidence based solutions to inform policy. Projects included evaluating the impact of providing finance and nutritional information to pregnant mothers, exploring the characteristics of children not attending school, and exposing the inequalities faced by families during Covid-19. She has also trained as a secondary school math teacher, gaining valuable insights into the challenges faced by young people today. She holds a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Economics. Outside of work, Lucy enjoys exploring new places, going on runs, cooking, and starting and often not completing new creative projects.

Ben Lewing

He/him

Ben Lewing is a Director at Making Evidence Work, a new community interest company with a mission to unlock the power of evidence to improve children's lives. He describes himself as a children’s services boundary spanner, and highly motivated by children's joyfulness. His professional journey has stretched from children's homes in Birmingham to national policy influencing on evidence-use, via commissioning local authority and NHS prevention and early intervention services. He spent a decade at the Early Intervention Foundation and Foundations leading work to support local leaders to use diverse forms of evidence. He is the architect of Changemakers and the Early Years Transformation Academy, created the Evidence Pie and is the author of 'Leading & delivering early childhood services: 10 insights from 20 places across England & Wales.

A new era of integration in the early years

About Nesta

A new era of integration in the early years

A new era of integration in the early years - 15 Jul 2025 15:30 – 17:00