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A stronger story: How to build public support for babies and young children - 15 Oct 2026 12:30 – 13:30

New research from Start Strong shows that 92% of people say it's important that babies and young children are safe, healthy and cared for - yet only 42% rank their healthy development as a priority when weighing up the issues society faces.

Start Strong exists to close that gap: a new movement to ensure all children get a fair start in life. Their new research explores how to shift public framing around early childhood, turning the findings into practical recommendations and tools to build the political will needed for change.

On Thursday 15 October from 12:30-13:30 BST, John Barber, director of Nesta's mission for a fairer start will be joined by Sally Hogg, director at Start Strong and Cameron Garrett, deputy director of research at More in Common. Our panel will share insights from the report, revealing how effective framing can shift public mindsets and what evidence can build a stronger case for government action.

Why you should come

This online event is for anyone working to improve the lives of babies, young children and families across the UK. It will be especially relevant for:

  • local authority early years teams and commissioners
  • communications professionals working in the early years sector
  • anyone making the case for early years investment or policy change

You'll have the chance to explore new research on public attitudes to early childhood, put questions to our speakers and discover practical narrative tools to help build support for lasting change.

Register to receive event details, reminders and joining links straight to your inbox.

Speakers

John Barber headshot

John Barber

He/Him

John is a director in the fairer start mission and one of the leaders of a multi-disciplinary innovation team focused on narrowing the outcome gap for disadvantaged children. John was previously a director in the healthy life mission, which is focused on halving obesity rates across the UK. John joined Nesta from NHS England, where he was deputy director for urgent and emergency care strategy. Before this, he led work in the prevention team, including the creation of the National Obesity Audit and implementation of the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme. Before this, John was a qualified GP and completed an academic clinical fellowship at University College London during his training.

sally

Sally Hogg

She/Her

Sally is the Director of Start Strong and a leading voice for babies and young children in the UK. Her career spans senior roles across charities, academia, and national and local government, where she has led the development and delivery of services and driven system and policy change. Sally advises a number of organisations, including the Department for Education, and has received several awards for her leadership and campaigning for babies and young children.

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Cameron Garrett

He/Him

Deputy director of research, More in Common