CURRENT PROJECT: Best Start in Life (2026)

York is a successful city, but too many children still face barriers from their earliest years.

Around 40% of the achievement gap seen at age 16 is already evident by the age of five, highlighting the importance of giving every child the best possible start in life.

To help shape the ‘Best Start in Life’ campaign, the City of York Council has commissioned Lived Insights, in partnership with Healthwatch York, to deliver a community-led research project that places families at the centre of change.

Based at the Community Researchers Hub in St Denys Church Hall on Walmgate, parents and carers with lived experience of raising young children and accessing children’s support services will be trained as Community Researchers. They will gather stories, experiences and insights from families across York, helping to ensure local voices shape future support and services.

Using creative participatory methods, they will explore what works well, where support could be improved and what matters most to local families.

By bringing together families, practitioners and decision-makers, the project will gather valuable lived experience insights to improve early years services, ensuring that the voices of local families help shape a better start in life for every child in York.