"I think that early years are absolutely essential"
Devon mum, Vicky Sanham, describes the help she has had from early help group sessions as "vital"
A Devon mum has described early group sessions and the chance to meet other mums as a "vital lifeline".
Vicky Sanham, from Tavistock, has had support from her local Action for Children's Centre with three of her four children.
She believes that "excellent foundations" can be laid during the early years of a child's life, but only if you have got the right support around you.
Vicky says "it doesn't matter if it's your fourth or first baby, you still feel very vulnerable as a new mum":
"The Children's Centre and early help group sessions have been a real lifeline in terms of not feeling lonely."
"I’ve had post-natal depression with all four of my children, so just being able to get out and see other people and get some support and know that you’re not on your own is absolutely vital."
Vicky also adds that it was her local Children's Centre and early help groups that pushed her to keep seeking help for her children:
"My eldest daughter was diagnosed with a blocked intestine and with a form of cancer when she was six months old and I’d been the see the doctor repeatedly and was told that it was very normal for babies to cry, it was normal for babies to be sick and all those sorts of things.
"It was really the Children’s Centre and going along to these early help groups where I was pushed to keep seeking answers and they were exactly right, because they had seen so many children through that stage, they were able to see that something wasn’t right.
"Equally with my second child, who’s now nearly five, he has a speech disorder and he possibly also has autism.
"Until the age of two there’s no access to general health services for a child who’s got any kind of speech delay, it’s sort of expected up until the age of two – everybody develops at different stages.
"But I was very clear that there was something different. And again, it was the local Children’s Centre and early help groups that allowed me to access a health visitor and get one of his reviews done early, so the moment he hit his second birthday, we could be referred straight away to all the services that he needed.
"It was just vital to have people there who were listening to me and saying ‘we know the system means that you can’t access the support you need yet, but we completely agree with you and recognise the things you’re saying’."
It follows on from the early years review, which says the youngest children have been "overlooked in government's policy for too long".
The report sets out a programme of work to transform support for families. The goal is to ensure the best support throughout those 1,001 critical days, setting babies up to maximise their potential for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing.