Introduction

This briefing draws out key messages for practitioners and parents/carers from the first Annual Report (2023) from the national evaluation of A Better Start (ABS).

ABS is a ten year (2015 – 2025) £215 million programme set up by The National Lottery Community Fund (The Fund), the largest funder of community activity in the UK. ABS is designed to support families to give their babies and very young children (0-4 years) the best possible start in life. The focus of this briefing is on ways of working with families which are enabling ABS partnerships to support early childhood development and improve the life chances for babies and toddlers.