LBH logo

Hounslow's Start for Life Offer


Every family knows the immense joy that the arrival of a baby can bring. But every parent or carer also knows the anxiety of this sudden responsibility. The sleepless nights, the doubt, the questions, these are all natural and common experiences during the 1,001 days from conception to a baby’s second birthday.

All families need some help to give their babies the best start in life.

Hounslow’s Start for Life offer provides a single point of reference that families can use to navigate a wide range of local support and services - specifically for babies from conception to two years of age. Through Hounslow’s Start for Life offer we hope that our families can access the support they need when they need it.

Our Start for Life Offer

During pregnancy and the first 2 years of a baby’s life, families interact with many services and sources of support, ranging from antenatal scans to health visiting. These are often delivered by different organisations and could be offered in a wide range of locations.
Broadly, the support available will fall into two categories:
Universal services which include:
  • Midwifery
  • Health visiting
  • Mental health support
  • Infant feeding and specialist breastfeeding support
  • Early help and support
  • Services relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Additional, targeted or specialist services and support which include:
  • Safeguarding and child protection
  • Support for domestic abuse
  • Help with drug and alcohol use
  • Smoking cessation
  • Debt advice
  • Help overcoming language barriers

Our Start for Life

Our Start for Life Offer includes information to help families access relevant services and support such as:

  • Details of the service and which organisation runs it
  • Appropriate contact details
  • A link to the website (with address and availability information)

Our Start for Life Offer is outlined in the following sections or you can download a PDF copy of the Start for Life (639kb):