• Research led by OHID finds 40% of first-time mums introduced solid food before their babies are 5 months old
• NHS official advice recommends solid food should be introduced around 6 months alongside breast milk or formula
• New campaign backed by Dr Zoe Williams and nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed aims to promote NHS advice and bring awareness of resources to support first time mums

Parents will be better supported to safely introduce their children to solid food following the launch of a new campaign from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

Weaning is a key milestone within the first 1,001 critical days, influencing children’s eating habits and their health later in life and improving babies abilities to move food around their mouth, chew and swallow.

The campaign will promote NHS advice on weaning and tackle confusion around how to introduce solid foods. The official NHS guidance recommends solid foods should be gradually introduced from around six months – alongside breast milk or infant formula.

If a baby is showing these three signs, it means they’re ready for weaning:

• Stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady
• Coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
• Swallow food, rather than push it back out By around 6 months of age, infants are usually developmentally ready to accept foods other than breast (or infant formula) milk.

The introduction of solid foods or infant formula before 6 months can reduce the amount of breast milk consumed and is associated with greater risks of infectious illness in infants. Giving solid foods to breastfed infants before six months may also reduce breast milk intake without increasing total energy intake or increasing weight gain.

The campaign comes as new research by OHID found 40% of first-time mums introduced solid food by the time their baby is five months old, earlier than the NHS recommendation of around six months, and almost two-thirds (64%) say they have received conflicting advice on what age to start weaning.

Health Minister, Maria Caulfield, said:

The first 1,001 days are crucial for development and impact a child’s health for the rest of their life.

Every child should have a solid foundation on which to build their health and I am determined to level up the opportunities and support for all children, no matter their background or where they grow up.

This campaign will ensure parents have the support and confidence to introduce their babies to solid food and ensure they have the opportunity to thrive and achieve their full potential.

The campaign includes an online Start for Life Weaning Hub featuring tips, advice guidelines from the NHS all in one place for ease to better support parents and reduce confusion and is backed by experts, including GP Dr Zoe Williams and nutritionist and author Charlotte Stirling-Reed.

The Start for Life Weaning hub also contains over 120 healthy and easy to prepare recipes and meal ideas which cover every step of the weaning journey, such as blueberry porridge and fish curry.

With more than 1 in 4 (27.7%) children being overweight when they reach school age, the Better Health Start for Life Weaning campaign will play a crucial role in supporting parents to get their child’s diet right at the earliest stage, encouraging healthy food variety and developing good food habits.

More widely, the government remains committed to improving babies’ and children’s healthy development through the £500 million package to provide support for parents and children, as well as continuing to implement the recommendations from Andrea Leadsom’s Early Years Review to promote best practice across the health system and ensure babies and children can get the best possible start

Charlotte Stirling Reed, Registered Nutritionist, Association for Nutrition said:

I know lots of parents may feel nervous and overwhelmed at the thought of introducing their baby to solid foods, but this research just goes to show you’re not alone. The Start for Life weaning hub is a great tool to make parents feel confident about how to wean their baby. It’s so important to teach little ones about food in a fun and relaxed manner as we want them to grow up enjoying mealtimes, so the weaning hub is designed to help parents enjoy this milestone by having lots of helpful advice all in one place.

Dr Zoe Williams, GP and TV Doctor said:

The research released today confirms that with so much conflicting advice available, weaning can be a very confusing time for parents. That’s why it’s so important to have all the information and NHS advice in one place. For most healthy babies, the easiest way to cut through the confusion is to wait until your baby is around six months old – this gives them time to develop properly, so they can cope with solid foods. When you do eventually start, there will be days when your baby eats more, some when they eat less, and then days when they reject everything! Don’t worry – this is perfectly normal.

Vicky Sibson, First Steps Nutrition Trust said:

The introduction of solids is an important and exciting milestone for babies, which can have lasting impacts on their dietary habits and health. To get it right, their parents/carers need information and advice that is practical and independent. For that reason we are pleased to support Better Health – Start for Life’s new ‘introducing solids’ campaign.

Mum of eight month old baby Rex said:

We started weaning Rex just after he was six months and at the beginning we didn’t know where to start! My friend pointed me in the direction of the Start for Life weaning hub, and it was a godsend. Everything was so clear and easy to understand. As busy parents, we all need some extra help and inspiration from time to time, so we particularly loved the meal ideas and found the recipes really easy to make. We also loved documenting all the funny faces Rex would pull when discovering new foods!

Background information

• For more information on weaning
• Assets for the campaign
• The research is based on a survey carried out on 1,000 parents with children aged 3-18 months and found:
• Three in five (59%) first-time parents found the decision to start weaning confusing 
• Almost two-thirds (64%) have received conflicting advice on what age to start introducing solid food 
• 40% of first-time mums introduced solid food by the time their baby is five months old
• After partners, grandmothers are the biggest influence on decision making with over a quarter (28%) of first-time mums reporting their mother had the biggest influence on their decision to start weaning 
• The majority (74%) agree there should be one official source for weaning advice 
• As part of the wider commitment to better support new parents, the government is investing £50 million in breastfeeding support services. This funding forms part of £300 million investment in Start for Life and Family Hub services
• Data on children being overweight or living with obesity when they reach school age is available from NHSD

Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison has opened today (4 March 2022) – where an unprecedented array of workshops will drive more offenders than ever into jobs and away from crime in a boost to public protection.

The new Category C prison in Northamptonshire is the first jail to have been designed with education, training and jobs for prisoners on release as its main purposes – factors proven to cut crime and reduce reoffending.

There will be a new presumption that prisoners at HMP Five Wells should spend their time behind bars learning new skills and getting trained in vital industries so they can find work immediately when back in the community and plug local labour shortages.

With 24 workshops and a large number of classrooms, prisoners will take part in formal learning, courses, qualifications and on-the-job training in areas including coding, car maintenance, fork-lift-truck maintenance, plumbing and engineering.

The prison will also be smart in how it supports prisoners with drug addictions into clean living, with two special drug recovery wings with a focus on abstinence-based methods. Here, up to 200 offenders with substance misuse issues will take part in a 16-week programme to help them get off drugs and into permanent recovery.

Designed throughout with cutting-edge technology, HMP Five Wells is also Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison – utilising the latest designs and innovations to protect the public and rehabilitate offenders:

• Smart design to phase out crime behind bars – offenders will be housed in X-shaped blocks, with wider, shorter corridors and fewer prisoners on each wing so frontline staff can see all cells and offenders quickly at any one time. Cells will have ultra-secure, bar-less windows to put an end to drones bringing illegal drugs, phones and weapons into jails
• Smart technology to rehabilitate offenders – prisoners will have in-cell tablets to access education and learning from inside their cell, kitted out with stringent and robust security to ensure they are not abused, and cutting-edge body scanners will prevent contraband from wreaking havoc on the wings
• Smart in its approach to getting offenders into jobs – working in direct partnership with local employers to offer 500 on-the-job training places through release on temporary license, leading to ready-made jobs for ex-offenders once back in the community. Over 25 ex-offenders and prisoners on temporary release were also employed in the construction of the jail, learning skills such as bricklaying, carpentry, plastering and roofing.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab said:

HMP Five Wells is a flagship example of this Government’s plan to create secure and modern prisons that cut crime and protect the public.

From drug-recovery centres that employ abstinence-based treatment to world-class prisoner training courses, this smart prison is designed to tackle the key obstacles to cutting reoffending and making our streets safer.

At HMP Five Wells, the Deputy Prime Minister met with frontline prison staff to see first-hand the cutting-edge new technologies and workshops that will keep the public safe while supporting prisoners to turn their backs on crime for good.

The prison will hold around 1700 offenders when at full capacity in December and will boost local employment with over 600 new jobs for the community. Around 200 prisoners are already there.

The opening of HMP Five Wells is a major milestone in the government’s commitment to create 20,000 modern, innovative places by the mid-2020s.

The new jail, on the site of the old HMP Wellingborough, is the first of 6 new prisons to be completed, with construction at Glen Parva, Leicestershire, well underway. The 1,700 place prison, recently named HMP Fosse Way by the local community, will be operated by Serco following a recent tendering competition.

The next new prison will be built next to HMP Full Sutton, East Yorkshire, and locations are being identified for a further three across the country. Of the four final builds, one will be run by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and three by private operators.

Together, this £4 billion investment will create thousands of jobs for local communities and see millions invested in local roads and infrastructure, while rehabilitating thousands of offenders and keeping the public safe.

Notes to editors

• Construction of HMP Five Wells began in May 2019 and G4S began preparations to open the prison in November last year. The first prisoner arrived on 4 February 2022.
• The prison’s name was chosen by the local community after the five historic wells surrounding Wellingborough.
• The name of the new prison in Glen Parva, HMP Fosse Way, was selected by the local community and reflects the history of the local area – the Fosse Way is a Roman road that runs through Leicestershire.

Robert Headspeath, 60, and Mandy Headspeath, 56, both of Galashiels, Scotland, have been disqualified as directors for six years each.

The couple were directors of Advanced Signs Ltd from March 2015 until February 2020 when the company went into liquidation following a winding-up petition by the tax authorities.

At the point of liquidation, the company owed £70,044 in unpaid tax to the public purse.

The Insolvency Service investigation, which began after the company went into liquidation, found that from April 2018 neither director had ensured that the company’s accounts and records were adequately maintained.

It was therefore not possible to determine the true source of various income, and whether these related to legitimate business by the company, including over £70,000 deposited at ATMs during this period. Large payments of nearly £60,000 could not be explained as well as a further £23,080 paid out in cheques.

The accuracy of assessments to the tax authorities could also not be verified, although the investigation did establish that from at least November 2017 the directors failed to ensure that the company dealt with its tax affairs. There were unpaid tax returns dating from this period, and the company failed to file any further tax returns after the period ended 30 June 2019.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from both Robert Headspeath and Mandy Headspeath. In both cases, the bans are effective from 7 February 2022 and last for 6 years.

The disqualification undertakings prevent both from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service said:

Directors have a duty to ensure that their companies maintain proper accounting records, and, following insolvency, deliver them to the office-holder in the interests of fairness and transparency. Without a full account of transactions it is impossible to determine whether a director has discharged his duties properly, or is using a lack of documentation as a cloak for impropriety. These two directors have paid the price for failing to do that, and now cannot carry on in business other than at their own risk.

Directors have a firm duty to ensure they deal properly with tax matters and pay what is due. Taxation revenue provides for the benefit of all and cannot simply be ignored.

Notes to editors

Mr Robert Headspeath is from Galashiels and his date of birth is October 1961.

Mrs Mandy Headspeath, is from Galashiels, and her date of birth is September 1965.

Advanced Signs Ltd (Company Reg no. SC500879).

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

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