1-20 of 4,304 results for subject:Babies
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.435 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.011 seconds
- Search query
- subject:Babies
- We searched for
- subject_t:Babies OR subject_t:Infants OR subject_ses:90294
Type
House
Session
More
Year
More
Department
More
Member
More
Primary member
More
Answering member
More
Legislative stage
Legislation
More
Subject
More
Publisher
This briefing gives an overview of women’s experiences of maternity services in England, including disparities in the care received by women from minority ethnic groups. It provides details of investigations into maternity units at individual NHS trusts, the government-commissioned national maternity and neonatal investigation, and policies to improve care. This briefing supplements the Library paper Quality and safety of maternity care (England) which contains information on key policy documents and developments (until February 2025).
This briefing gives an overview of women’s experiences of maternity services in England, including disparities in the care received by women from minority ethnic groups. It provides details of investigations into maternity units at individual NHS trusts, the government-commissioned national maternity and neonatal investigation, and policies to improve care. This...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Newborn Behavioural Observations and the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale within NHS maternity, health visiting and perinatal mental health services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Newborn Behavioural Observations and the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale within NHS maternity, health visiting and perinatal mental health services.
The Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS) and Newborn Behavioural Observations (NBO) are tools used to observe newborn behaviour. The NBAS is a more detailed assessment, while the NBO is more commonly used to support parent-infant relationships by helping parents understand their baby’s cues, communication, and capabilities.
The evidence base is small and of limited quality, although it suggests potential benefits for parental confidence, responsiveness, and early bonding. A Cochrane review concluded that further research is needed before wider recommendation.
It is for individual National Health Service trusts to decide whether staff should use and be trained in these tools, therefore no assessment has been made of their use within the NHS.
An overview of government policy on children’s centres and family hubs since 1997.
An overview of government policy on children’s centres and family hubs since 1997.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to publish its recommendation following the consultation on newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy; and when Ministers expect to make a decision on whether to add metachromatic leukodystrophy to the newborn blood...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to publish its recommendation following the consultation on newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy; and when Ministers expect to make a decision on whether to add metachromatic leukodystrophy to the newborn blood...
The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts.
The UK NSC considered newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), undertaking a review and a three-month consultation on those findings which closed on 5 August 2025. At the November 2025 UK NSC meeting, committee members concluded that there was not enough evidence to support newborn screening for MLD. Further information on the meeting is available at the following link:
https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/08/minutes-published-of-uk-nsc-november-2025-meeting/
However, members agreed that MLD would be a good candidate for inclusion in a multi-condition in-service evaluation within the United Kingdom newborn blood spot screening programme.
The Department is currently considering what would be needed to introduce such an evaluation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers to remove unsafe infant products from online marketplaces.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers to remove unsafe infant products from online marketplaces.
Under existing legislation, businesses must only supply safe consumer products. Relevant authorities have powers to require withdrawal of unsafe products from supply and, where appropriate, their recall. The Office for Product Safety and Standards coordinates regulatory activity to ensure online marketplaces prevent and remove any unsafe products from their sites.
The Government recently consulted on proposals to simplify and strengthen the current fragmented enforcement framework. These reforms are intended to create a clearer, more coherent regulatory regime, giving relevant authorities the tools they need to identify and tackle unsafe products across supply chains, including products sold through online marketplaces.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of conducting a formal review of mandatory testing, clearer labelling and targeted restrictions on high-exposure plastic baby products.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of conducting a formal review of mandatory testing, clearer labelling and targeted restrictions on high-exposure plastic baby products.
The Government takes the safety of baby products seriously and has robust regulations requiring that all products placed on the UK market are safe, with specific controls addressing chemical exposure from plastic baby products. These requirements are kept under review.
The Government's consultation on reforming the core Product Safety Framework closed on 23 June 2026. We are considering all feedback received including any evidence presented on the regulation of these products. The Government also launched a Call for Evidence on toy safety on 6 July, to ensure protections keep pace with emerging risks.
My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities (Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP) has made the following statement:
Victoria Marten’s death was tragic and the direct result of the actions of her parents, who are now serving sentences for her negligent manslaughter. Victoria’s...
My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities (Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP) has made the following statement:
Victoria Marten’s death was tragic and the direct result of the actions of her parents, who are now serving sentences for her negligent manslaughter. Victoria’s...
Victoria Marten’s death was tragic and the direct result of the actions of her parents, who are now serving sentences for her negligent manslaughter. Victoria’s death prompted a wider national review and in February 2026, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its national review, “Protecting all vulnerable babies better”....
Victoria Marten’s death was tragic and the direct result of the actions of her parents, who are now serving sentences for her negligent manslaughter. Victoria’s death prompted a wider national review and in February 2026, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its national review, “Protecting all vulnerable babies better”....
Protecting all vulnerable babies better. A government response. Incl. Annex. 29p.
Protecting all vulnerable babies better. A government response. Incl. Annex. 29p.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to raise awareness of (a) Group B Strep and (b) severe infections in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to raise awareness of (a) Group B Strep and (b) severe infections in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to improve prevention of (a) Group B Strep and (b) serious infections in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to improve prevention of (a) Group B Strep and (b) serious infections in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to tackle (a) sepsis, (b) meningitis and (c) pneumonia in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to tackle (a) sepsis, (b) meningitis and (c) pneumonia in newborn babies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department collects on outcomes for babies and parents receiving parent–infant relationship support in the first 1,001 days following birth.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department collects on outcomes for babies and parents receiving parent–infant relationship support in the first 1,001 days following birth.
We understand the importance of parent-infant relationships on a baby’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. That is why we are committed to improving parent-infant relationship support.
Health visiting services provide parenting support to all families through the national Healthy Child Programme, funded through the Public Health Grant. This includes advice on parent-infant relationships as well as responsive parenting, infant behaviour, and wider support as needed. The Department is collecting the number of local authorities that provide parenting and behaviour services, with publication planned for Autumn 2026.
Through Healthy Babies, we are investing £109 million to provide enhanced parent-infant relationship support in 75 local authorities areas with high levels of deprivation. Through our management information data, we know that in March 2025, there were 520 fully or partially funded parent-infant relationship and perinatal mental health services across the funded local authorities. Further information is available at the following link:
We are working to expand our data collection, and, from April 2026, we have been asking all 153 local authorities to report on services delivered through the Best Start Family Hub network.
We are also investing in independent evaluation of Healthy Babies to understand which interventions and delivery elements have an impact, for whom, and in what contexts.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of statutory guidance on safe sleep practices and products for babies under two.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of statutory guidance on safe sleep practices and products for babies under two.
The Government recognises the importance of clear, evidence-based advice on safer sleep for babies and ensuring that baby sleep products placed on the market are safe.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe.
For parents and carers, we promote evidence-based advice on safer sleep from the National Health Service and trusted organisations such as The Lullaby Trust.
Under United Kingdom law, businesses are responsible for only placing safe baby sleep products on the market, and must provide all necessary information, warnings, and instructions to ensure they can be used safely and appropriately. The product regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, has previously issued a Safety Alert for certain dangerous baby sleep pillows and published messaging to raise consumer awareness of hazards.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to review evidence on chemical exposure from plastic baby products, including feeding bottles, dummies and teethers; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for those products.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to review evidence on chemical exposure from plastic baby products, including feeding bottles, dummies and teethers; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for those products.
The Government takes the safety of baby products seriously and has robust regulations in place requiring that all products placed on the UK market are safe. Specific rules exist under product safety and chemicals regulations, to address chemical exposure from plastic baby products, and these are kept under review.
More generally, the Government's consultation on reforming the core Product Safety Framework closed on 23 June 2026, and we will be considering all feedback received as part of that process, including any evidence presented on the regulation of these products.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department are taking to hold companies to account who make sleep products for babies that cause potential hazards.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department are taking to hold companies to account who make sleep products for babies that cause potential hazards.
Under UK law, businesses are responsible for placing safe baby sleep products on the market, including where sold online. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) carries out market surveillance and has powers to require unsafe products be withdrawn from sale, and can seek prosecution or fines where businesses fail to act.
Targeted OPSS testing of baby sleep products in 2025 identified non-compliant or unsafe items online, and OPSS acted to ensure platforms removed listings and identified problem sellers. OPSS previously issued a Safety Alert for dangerous baby sleep pillows and published messaging to raise consumer awareness of hazards.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18803 on Hydrocephalus: Diagnosis, whether his Department has taken steps to introduce additional infant head‑circumference measurements within routine health visiting contacts; whether a deadline has been set for...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18803 on Hydrocephalus: Diagnosis, whether his Department has taken steps to introduce additional infant head‑circumference measurements within routine health visiting contacts; whether a deadline has been set for...
The Department has not taken steps to introduce additional infant head circumference measurements within routine health visiting contacts, since the clinical value of this is yet to be robustly established. However, we engaged widely with stakeholders when refreshing the Healthy Child Programme guidance, which specifies requirements for health visiting, and noted in the text, as per requests from the charity sector, that the purpose of all measurements should be explained to parents and all statutory health and development reviews should be conducted face-to-face.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on postnatal care recommends measuring the weight and head circumference of babies in the first week and at around eight weeks, and at other times only if there are concerns. NICE guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and are developed through a rigorous process. NICE keeps its guidelines under active surveillance and would consider updating its recommendations in light of new evidence. NICE has no current plans to review its current guidance on head circumference measurement.
The timings of both the new birth and the six-to-eight week health and development review, which form part of the Healthy Child Programme, coincide with when NICE recommends head circumference measurements take place.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) to the NHS newborn blood spot screening programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) to the NHS newborn blood spot screening programme.
Members of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) have agreed that metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) would be a good candidate for the inclusion in a multi-condition in-service evaluation (ISE) within the United Kingdom’s newborn blood spot (NBS) screening programme. The aim of this ISE would be to answer policy-relevant research questions that will allow the UK NSC to make recommendations on adding new conditions to the NBS programme where it is safe to do so.
The UK NSC is using the multi condition ISE in its work with experts and partner organisations to look at how to make it easier to develop the evidence needed to make robust recommendations on adding more rare diseases, such as MLD, to the National Health Service newborn blood spot screening programme.
Lords Statement on the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust.
Lords Statement on the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust.
My Lords, I thank the Minister for the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement on the report, which raises many troubling issues. I add my thanks to Donna Ockenden and her team for their extraordinary work in conducting what has been the largest review of maternity services in the...
My Lords, I thank the Minister for the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement on the report, which raises many troubling issues. I add my thanks to Donna Ockenden and her team for their extraordinary work in conducting what has been the largest review of maternity services in the...