Freedom of information response

1. How many babies were born in your local authority area from 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2023?

Not recorded within Thurrock Council systems; However, according to the Office of National Statistics the total number of live births in Thurrock in 2022 is estimated to be 2,191*

* Based on the Office of National Statistics data publication: Information on birth statistics- Table 3: Live births and stillbirths by area of usual residence of mother, numbers, total fertility rates and stillbirths rates, 2022  as published 23/02/2024 and accessed 10/04/2024 at 13:47 Link: Births in England and Wales: summary tables - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

2. How many babies do you estimate there are aged 0-2 living in your local authority area currently?

Not recorded within Thurrock Council systems; However, according to the Office of National Statistics, Thurrock’s zero to two years old population estimate for 2022 stands at 7,229**.

**Based on the Office of National Statistics data publication: Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022 - MYE2: Persons by single year of age and sex for local authorities in the UK, mid-2022 as published 26/04/2024 and accessed 10/04/2024 at 13:54 Link: Estimates of the population for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

3. What proportion of them accessed Start for Life services during the period 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2023?

This is not recorded in Thurrock Councils systems but the number of families of 0-2 year olds who accessed start for life services in Thurrock family hubs between 1st April 2022 to April 2023  = 3157

4. The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme guide states that 10% of babies have a ‘disorganised’ attachment style which is associated with the worst developmental outcomes. (see Annex I: perinatal mental health and parent–infant relationship support on p81) What percentage of babies aged 0-2 in your Integrated Care System are you commissioning specialised parent-infant relationship services for? i.e. a clinical psychologist or child psychotherapist led service, as outlined here: https://parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/our-work/what-is-a-parent-infant-team/

Thurrock Council have utilised Family Hub Transformation funding to commission a Full-time Parent Infant Therapist who is hosted by the Mental Health provider – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT). EPUT have an Essex wide Parent Infant Mental Health Service ‘Together with Baby’ - this role has been commissioned as an addition to the team and is for Thurrock families only. Data is not recorded within Thurrock Council systems but in commissioning this role we increase capacity in the Together with Baby service for Thurrock families.