A report from the First 1000 Days programme at Public Health Wales has identified six priority areas for action and says that making small changes to the way that things are done in these areas can deliver a huge difference to families across Wales. 

The report says that creating the conditions for all families to flourish – like safe homes, fair work and income, accessible transport and built and natural environments which are family friendly – acts as the foundations of a society that enables all children to have the best start in life. 

And the research shows that investment in early years interventions pays dividends, with every pound spent on helping families and children in the first thousand days of life delivering a return of between £1.30 and £16.80 in long term savings and benefits to the economy. 

The report, which calls the first thousand days a ‘golden opportunity to build a fairer future’ for children, says that pregnancy and the first years of life are the foundation for a happier and healthier future.  It says that a good start in life informs how children feel about themselves and those around them.  As well as love, care and attention from the most important people in their lives, babies need good nutrition, play and communication to build their brains and bodies. 

It is clear that there are many challenges in establishing strong foundations to reduce inequalities in Wales, with research showing that more than one in four children in Wales are living in poverty.  When babies don’t start with a solid foundation it is harder for them to catch up later on, and as a result they often fall behind their peers, needing more support further down the road. 

On the other hand, making investments in training early years practitioners in areas such as speech and language development, can make a huge impact on children’s communication outcomes – at a much more modest financial outlay.