Best start for children and families

The  Stockton-on-Tees Best Start Strategy 2021-2025 (PDF) [1MB] has been developed jointly by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS Acute and Community Health Service Providers, early years providers, including schools and the private, voluntary and independent sector, alongside families. 

Families have been involved throughout all stages of development and proposed the title of the strategy 'From Conception to Reception' to affirm our commitment to the ante-natal period alongside a child's earliest years of life. 

We recognise that communities which seek to improve the health and development of its children are helping to build strong foundations for future economic growth and prosperity and happy, healthy and nurturing families. 

The strategy identifies 5 key priorities: 

• working alongside families to develop a clear offer of support for all children from conception to age 5
• building and strengthening early relationships
• supporting children and families with the development of early speech, language and communication
• supporting families to provide a positive home learning environment
• encouraging access to high quality, inclusive and affordable early years education

Each of the priorities has a clear set of partnership commitments which will form an action plan which will be monitored by the Best Start steering group and reported to the Children and Young People's Partnership.

Best Start System Outcomes Framework

We have identified 6 key outcomes which describe what we want our system to look like.

They are:

• co-production is embedded as our way of working and families feel that they are listened to and communicated with
• the early years system is joined up, supportive and accessible
• families and the early years workforce understand their role in supporting children's development
• speech, language and communication needs are identified early and reduced where possible
• all children are able to access early years education in a setting that is 'Good' or 'Outstanding'
• children are ready to learn and ready for school