Nesta and the Centre for Young Lives will be hosting a private roundtable at the Labour Party Conference 2025.

With the Labour government one year into delivering its mission-led agenda for public service reform, this roundtable will explore how new types of partnerships — including with philanthropists, social investors, and alternative finance providers — can support progress on improving outcomes for children and families.

Building on the Government’s Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy, this session will focus on how cross-sector collaboration can unlock funding and innovation in early years services. It will showcase early years as a live case study for broader public service reform and mission delivery.

The discussion will centre on:

• How government can work with the impact economy and civil society to scale innovative approaches;
• Funding mechanisms that can accelerate impact and delivery;
• Lessons from current partnerships and models that could be expanded.

This is a timely opportunity to reflect on what’s working, what’s needed next, and how government can build lasting partnerships beyond the state to transform services. With early years as a testbed, the insights from this roundtable will inform thinking about unlocking similar innovations across other mission areas.