HM Government

Families are the bedrock of our society and the foundation for our ambitions for our country. The family environment has a vital influence on everyone who is part of it. The involvement of mothers and fathers in their child’s early years and educational development is absolutely essential to the health, happiness and development of children and their achievements in later life. Strong family relationships support individuals through tough times. Most families provide the love, encouragement, advice and support to help their children grow and thrive. But they face an ever-increasing range of pressures around this - from financial pressures to time to lack of relationship skills - that can have a detrimental impact on individuals’ life chances.

In this chapter, we explain our approach to reducing those pressures by supporting parenting, strengthening relationships and helping families financially. Family Nurses like Debbie are a key part of that. Alongside this, we set out how we will protect those families at risk - through intensive support when they need it most.