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Government extends National Breastfeeding Helpline to provide round-the-clock support for families
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£18.5 million investment this year in infant feeding support through Family Hubs and Start for Life programme
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Support forms part of mission to give children the best start in life under government’s Plan for Change
Thousands of mothers and babies will benefit from extended support to breastfeeding services this year, thanks to government assistance.
The government has extended the National Breastfeeding Helpline- helping ensure more mothers across the UK can access dedicated breastfeeding support 24 hours a day.
It means all parents can access free, non-judgmental, evidence-based information and support on breastfeeding whenever they need it – recognising that feeding challenges can arise at any time of the day or night.
The government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and giving every child the best start in life. That includes helping families to access support to feed their baby. It’s important that all parents and caregivers are supported to make the choice that’s right for them and can access the help they need to achieve their infant feeding goals.
The service is just one of the ways the government is helping families through the Plan for Change – the announcement comes as the government undertakes a complete reform of family services, including the rollout of up to 1,000 new Best Start Family Hubs across every local authority, ensuring parents can easily access joined-up early help on everything from breastfeeding to mental health and housing.
The government is providing £126 million in funding in 2025-2026 to support its Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which helps families with advice and support services including infant feeding, parenting classes and perinatal mental health support, among other areas.
Public Health and Prevention Minister Ashley Dalton said
Supporting women and families is a top priority for this government, which is why I am so pleased to announce the extension of the National Breastfeeding Helpline.
Many parents will know the struggle of being up in the middle of the night, desperately trying anything to get your baby to feed. It can be incredibly overwhelming and deeply lonely.
We are determined to make sure more women get the support they need through this vital 24/7 helpline.
And through our Plan for Change, we’re going further to ensure every child gets the best start in life. We’ve provided extra funding for local infant feeding services through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, where parents can access drop-in sessions for practical and emotional support.
Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby, said
Ensuring families have the support they need from day one is central to delivering our Plan for Change and giving every child the best start in life.
We know those first days and weeks can be overwhelming, and services like the National Breastfeeding Helpline are there to give parents reassurance and expert help whenever they need it most.
And this is just one part of a much bigger effort to transform how families are supported – with new Best Start Family Hubs opening in every local area across the country over the coming years, taking the best of Family Hubs and honouring the proud legacy of Sure Start to give parents the support they deserve in the earliest years of their children’s lives.
Catherine Hine, Chief Executive of The Breastfeeding Network said
The National Breastfeeding Helpline is a vital source of infant feeding support, run by the Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, and trusted by tens of thousands of families every year.
While some callers seek help for a wider range of infant feeding challenges, we know that almost nine in ten (89%) of callers are more confident to continue breastfeeding after contacting the helpline. Many women also call to talk about combination feeding, introducing solids, stopping breastfeeding and formula feeding.
We’re really excited that shifting to a 24-hour service has been so popular and that our great team are being contacted by women and families throughout the UK and with a wide variety of backgrounds and infant feeding experiences.
The government has outlined a series of measures to improve care and support for women and families. Last month the Health Secretary announced a national investigation into maternity and neonatal services to drive urgent improvements to care and safety, addressing systemic problems dating back over 15 years.
Background
The National Breastfeeding Helpline is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and run by the Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. Through the helpline, families across the UK have access to trained peer supporters who provide practical, non-judgemental information and support on breastfeeding and infant feeding to anyone who needs it. The service operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year via telephone and social media.
The helpline has been extended for the financial year 2025-26 and more support is now available through the night.
Evidence shows breastfeeding provides significant benefits for both mothers and babies. It’s important that families are supported to make the choice that’s right for them and have easy access to quality advice and services to help them achieve their infant feeding goals. The helpline is supporting families to overcome challenges that might prevent mothers from successfully breastfeeding.
The government is taking further steps to improve infant feeding support, including investing £18.5 million through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025-26 to improve infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are using this investment to strengthen existing support and introduce new offers to help families access breastfeeding support when they need it and in a location that suits them.
This funding for local infant feeding services forms part of the £126 million investment in the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme for 75 local authorities. Family Hubs deliver integrated services including parenting support, health visiting and early childhood development programmes. These services work together to ensure families receive comprehensive support during the critical first 1,001 days of a child’s life.
Parents can also access support online on a range of topics from healthy pregnancy to feeding their baby at Start for Life.
This announcement demonstrates the government’s commitment to creating the healthiest generation of children ever. This investment supports the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, published in December 2024, which outlined the ambition to give children the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood. Alongside investment in the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the government is taking action to improve maternity care, strengthen health visiting services, increase access to vaccinations, and to reduce tooth decay in children.
