The inaugural Home-Start Lecture
Reducing Persistent Inequalities: the role of the voluntary sector.
This is the first annual Home-Start lecture. The series aims to provide a forum for discussion of vital and broad ranging issues in family support.
World-leading academics, cabinet members and chief medical officers discussed the role the voluntary sector can and does play in addressing health inequalities across the UK at the inaugural Home-Start Lecture on Monday 10 January 2011. They spoke to and with an audience of practitioners and thinkers from the charity sector, public health bodies, university researchers, and funding organisations.
The Home-Start Lecture was chaired by Malcolm Dean, former social affairs editor of the Guardian and a trustee of the policy think tank the Young Foundation. A keynote speech was delivered by Professor Sir Malcolm Marmot, author of the government commissioned review of health inequalities, 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives' February 2010 and Chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health set up by the World Health Organisation in 2005. Panellists included; Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Dr Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer, Scotland (by video link).
Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Concentrated on his first recommendation from ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives’.: ‘give every child the best start in life’, saying “action is required across all …social determinants of health and needs to involve all central and government departments as well as the third and private sectors”. |
Francis Maude MP
“I’m a huge fan of what Home-Start does and organisations like this – which don’t just deploy professional support but which mobilise enormous amounts of voluntary activity. It must play not just a continuing role, but a greater role in the future.” |
Dr Harry Burns
“...But actually we need the third sector to work with us on this: we need them to develop the assets that people have within them rather making them more dependent.” |
Malcolm Dean
“I was under instructions that this was not a Home-Start event, this was a voluntary sector assembly. But I do want to pay tribute to Home-Start ...Home-Start is terrific – you need a vote of thank for your great 38 years of work.” |
Papers and announcements from the event:
Read the letter of support from Alex Attwood MLA, Minister for Social Development, Northern Ireland who was unable to attend the meeting.
Download Start Young – Get Set For Life: behaviour change and life chances in the context of healthy eating – theory, policy and good practice.
Press Enquiries
Please contact Jo McLeish, press & PR officer for Home-Start UK; jmcleish@home-start.org.uk or 0116 258 7933.
Further notes
More detailed notes and highlights from the lecture are available
