Three local authorities in the north of England are partnering with the charity Nesta to develop and deliver innovative services that will help give all children a fairer start in life.

The new collaboration, Fairer Start Local, will bring together specialist teams from Nesta and the local authorities of Leeds, Stockport and York. They will work together to use evidence-based design, data science and behavioural insights to develop new ways of ensuring that all children aged 0-5 have a fair start in life.

Fairer Start Local will focus on developing innovative ways of supporting stable and secure family relationships, boosting the mental and physical health of families, increasing access to high quality childcare and supporting home learning environments.

Nesta is a national charity working to ensure that all children are equally ready to start school after their fourth birthday, regardless of their background. It will be investing £1.5m* in Fairer Start Local over three years, working in equal partnership with Leeds City Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority) and City of York Council.

The ambition is to develop pioneering methods to support parents and children across the three local authorities, which each serve distinct and diverse populations. Some interventions will be highly area-specific, embedded in local social and cultural contexts, while others may be applicable across the partnership and in other cities and towns.

Tom Symons, Deputy Director of Nesta’s Fairer Start mission, said:

“We want every child to have the same opportunities to thrive, but sadly that’s not the reality for too many children today. Through Fairer Start Local, we want to make sure that every parent and child has access to the support that they need to get on in life. We’ll be working with council experts who bring a wealth of knowledge, understanding and ideas about how to best support local families. Their strong connections with diverse local communities will help us to develop new approaches that really work for people, providing the right support at the right time and place.”

Councillor Fiona Venner, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult and children’s social care and health partnerships, said:

“Our vision is to make Leeds the best city for children and young people to grow up in and that means doing everything in our power to ensure they all get a fair start in life with access to the same opportunities. We’re pleased to be part of this fantastic programme and I look forward to seeing the impact it has on families.”

Councillor Colin Foster, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Family Services and Education, said:

“In Stockport we want every child to have the best start in life, that is why we are delighted to be a part of Fairer Start Local. By being a part of this programme it will allow us to reconsider how families are supported in the early years whilst building on local innovation, such as integration of speech therapists in Start Well teams to further develop and adapt our services to ensure all children in their earliest years of life reach their full potential.

“We look forward to furthering our use of innovation expertise as part of Fairer Start Local to learn from families about their needs. This will help us to develop a flexible range of services for families when they require additional help and support.”

Councillor Ian Cuthbertson, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

“While the majority of York’s residents achieve excellent whole of life outcomes, significant inequalities still exist. We recognise the need to continue to focus on the early years if we are to improve health, education and wellbeing outcomes for our most vulnerable children and young people so as to narrow the gap with their peers.”