Labour are fighting for their political lives. Family policy could change their fortunes

"Tough days," he says, strengthen his resolve. You do not need to work in Westminster to sense the pressure the government faces. Two years after a historic landslide, the PM has rededicated himself to finding solutions that will turn his party's and the nation's fortunes around. The answer, I believe, lies in a transformational approach to family policy.

At Triple P, we work with families right across the UK. Every day, we see the pressures parents face, the challenges they navigate, and the gaps in support that leave many feeling alone. We also see what happens when families get the right help at the right time. Children thrive. Relationships strengthen. The burden on schools, the NHS and social care begins to ease.

This government has already shown it understands this. The school readiness goal, Best Start Family Hubs, SEND reform, DWP’s Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, the Children's Wellbeing Act and the Families First Programme together represent a once-in-a-decade opportunity to build something durable. But that opportunity is only realised if funding is locked in for the long term and extended to every local area in England. Without that commitment, the families who need it most risk being left behind.

New Labour proved what sustained investment in families can achieve. Sure Start was world-leading, delivering healthier children, stronger communities and real savings for public services. Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman, two of its architects, are back in the room. The task now is not to romanticise that legacy but to match its ambition for the challenges families face today.

Here is what frustrates me. We know what works. Over 550,000 children are waiting for mental health treatment. Anxiety and self-harm among young people are at record levels. Screen time and social media have created new parenting pressures. And too many parents are navigating all of this alone, turning to unqualified online influencers because nobody has offered them anything better. That is not a parenting failure. It is a policy failure.

The evidence is unambiguous. A national digital rollout of Triple P in Australia has shown a 7:1 return on investment over four years, with every dollar spent on supporting parents saving seven across health, education and social care. This does not just make political sense. It makes economic sense.

Our research found that 75% of parents feel stigma about asking for help. Many have no idea where to find it, not because they do not care about their children, but because nobody has made it easy enough.

Starmer said this week that every child should have the opportunity to go as far as their talent takes them. If he means it, he should start a national conversation about the value of parents and parenting to children’s lives and our nation’s future. The action he can take is clear: lock in Family Hubs funding permanently, extend it to every local authority, and follow Australia's lead with a national rollout of evidence-based online parenting support that reaches families at home, without stigma and without barriers.

Labour’s very own track record offers a solution to its present challenges. Sure Start proved the difference family support can make to education, health and social outcomes when backed with funding and action. Transforming family policy has the power to change the nation’s fortunes.

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Associate Professor Matt Buttery is CEO of Triple P UK.

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