What people have told us they need
What have we heard?
Families have shared what matters most to them. They want:
- Strong support during the first days and weeks at home with a baby
- Opportunities to be active, eat well and have fun locally
- Accessible support for children with additional needs
- Online options that fit busy lives
- Clearer description of available services
- Warm introductions between services
- Continuity with trusted professionals
- More help with speech, language and communication development
Feedback also highlights the positive impact of Early Help group programmes and the importance of simple self sign up processes.
Feedback resources
Additional feedback
Parents and carers tell us they value having online options for support and clear information they can access whenever it suits their busy lives.
Hampshire families appreciate the support they receive from maternity and health visiting services, both in‑person and digitally. They would also like more opportunities to stay connected with these services, especially during times when they may be finding things difficult. At these moments, families value being guided towards specialist support when needed.
However, parents and carers are not always aware of the full range of support available, or what each service can offer. As children grow, speech, language and communication development remains a significant concern for many families, and those with children who have additional needs often want more tailored and accessible support.
We also know that being signposted to multiple services can feel overwhelming. Families tell us that the different offers, criteria and processes can be confusing. They value continuity and trusted relationships with professionals who can support them over time.
When families need to access more than one service, they appreciate ‘warm introductions’ that help them move smoothly from one level of support to another. For children with SEND, services must take proactive steps to ensure they have the same opportunities as their peers, with information that recognises and respects the complexities of family life.
Family feedback continues to shape our Early Help offer. Group programmes remain extremely popular, with overwhelmingly positive responses from families across Hampshire. The recent expansion of Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PAACES) groupwork has also been well received and is now offered in more community and educational settings. Families can sign up easily through a simple self‑referral process, and we will continue to build this self‑service approach to make support even more accessible.
How will we build on this?
Hampshire performs well compared to national averages, but we want even more children to reach a good level of development at age two and five, and to close the gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers.
This means:
- improving health, wellbeing and developmental outcomes
- offering inclusive, high quality early years support
- strengthening early identification and intervention
- supporting families and early years providers across all communities