A new website has been launched by the national charity, 4Children, offering parents in England a ‘one stop shop’ for all the information they may need for pregnancy and the first 5 years of their child’s life.
The new website, Families in the Foundation Years: From pregnancy to children age 5 (
www.foundationyears.org.uk), provides information and advice from recognised experts in the foundation years sector and is presented in a parent-friendly, comprehensive manner. The website guides parents through what they can expect to encounter during pregnancy and the first five years of their child’s life, explaining what support and services they are entitled to in each phase of the child’s development. It also provides advice as well as signposting to the best sources of help available on other websites.
The website is part of a of a partnership project between Government and charities that work with families who have young children. The overall aim is to improve the later lives of children by ensuring their families have all the best advice and information to give their child the best possible start.
Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children said: “Whether you are a mum or a dad, whether you have just seen the positive result on a pregnancy test or are looking for your child’s first school, this new website is spelling out the A to Z of all your unanswered questions.
“Getting the information and advice you need into one easy to find place is important because it helps you to give your child the best future. The better the information a parent has, the more they feel they are in the driving seat of their child’s future.”
Children’s Minister, Sarah Teather, said: “Parents are the most important influence in a child’s early life. The experiences of children in their earliest years, good or bad, can shape their future life chances for years to come. That’s why we want to support families to bring up their children and raise the status of the foundation years.
“Today, with 4Children, we have set out in one place what every mother and father should expect from pregnancy right through to when their child is five. This brings together everything parents need to know to help their child develop well, stay healthy and be ready for school.
Families in the Foundation Years provides an encyclopaedia of trustworthy and reliable information for new parents with links to parent support groups; post natal
depression; rights in the workplace; advice about relationships; family budgeting; supporting the baby’s development; finding local children’s centres; right up to preparing for the first day at school.
Whether parents want practical information about finding ante-natal groups, or how to arrange flexible working or plan the birth – all the information is here. Many families don’t want to be told by government what they must do: they want to feel they have choices and are free to act in what they regard as their own best interests. Putting all the best possible information into one easily accessible place is the best place to start.
For more information see
www.foundationyears.org.uk and
www.4Children.org.uk
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