Fiona Bruce MP speaks in Parliament on importance of early intervention and support for better outcomes for children
Fiona Bruce MP spoke yesterday in Parliament on the launch this week of an in-depth report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) of which Fiona Bruce is Vice-Chair (http://www.fasdtrust.co.uk/) and urged Government to radically review its advice to expectant Mothers regarding alcohol intake during pregnancy and that the UK Government should be saying – as many other countries do, that “no alcohol is safest for baby and you” and that “without such a clear message, pregnant women in the UK are left confused and uncertain.”
Quoting from the report Fiona Bruce said
“this is astonishing and deeply worrying, and something which must be rectified as a matter of urgency.”
She added “The original clinical diagnosis of FASD was made in 1973. Our inquiry showed that in the four decades since then, the UK as a whole has still barely acknowledged its existence. That must change, and the Government must take a lead.”
Fiona’s contribution came during a debate on the 1001 Critical Days Manifesto Report launched in the last Parliament to which Fiona Bruce contributed and which was re-launched with additional support from new MPs this week in Parliament.
Fiona Bruce said “The importance of the first 1001 days in a child’s life, starting with conception, cannot be overstated. Identifying a baby’s needs as early as possible in a baby’s development can significantly improve the long term health and mental well-being outcomes. The benefits to both the baby and the parent are immense with society as a whole enriched if we can get a pre – Troubled Families Programme engaged into our mindset of how we do our public health and children’s social care across Government nationally and locally.”
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Notes to Editor
1. MPs from all parties have put their names in support of the 1001 Critical Days Manifesto (http://www.1001criticaldays.co.uk/) and are pressing ministers to adopt it as a Government policy across a number of departments.
The 1001 Critical Days Manifesto takes its title from the period from conception to age 2 when a baby’s brain is developing fastest and he or she is most susceptible to forming strong bonds of attachment with a primary carer, which will have a lasting impact and certainly set a child up for the best start in life, in school and into adulthood if we get it right.
The Manifesto highlights that many of the social problems seen in society today have resulted from poor parenting skills often as a result of a parent having had bad experiences as a baby and creating generational downward spiral. The goal is for every baby to receive sensitive, appropriate and responsive care from their main caregivers in the first years of life with more proactive help from the NHS, health visitors, children’s centres and other public bodies engaged in a joined – up preventative strategy to affect great change, as pregnancy and the birth of a baby is a critical window of opportunity.
