Page 7 - The Plain Truth Spring-Summer 2026

a chasm. Children living in the most deprived 20% of proportionate to the level of need. The emergence
neighbourhoods are more than twice as likely to die as of Family Hubs represents a shift in philosophy. By
those in the least deprived areas. integrating midwives, mental health counsellors, and debt
In the West Midlands, the infant mortality rate sits at advisors under one roof, the goal is to treat the family as
a staggering 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. Travel south a whole ecosystem. In Somerset, a ‘distributed hub’ model
to the more affluent South West, and that number drops to uses food banks and village halls to reach rural families who
2.5. This isn’t just a statistical anomaly; it is a manifestation might otherwise be invisible to the system.
of what public health experts call the social determinants Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on father-
of health. It is the difference between a home with central inclusive training. New initiatives are seeking to involve
heating and one black with damp; between a mother who men more deeply in the health and safety of their
can afford a nutrient-rich diet and one who is skipping newborns, which studies suggest can significantly improve
meals to pay the electric bill. long-term child outcomes.
In the 19th century, the great reformer Fyodor
Dostoevsky famously remarked that ‘the soul is healed by
being with children.’ In the 21st century, we might add that
the health of a nation is measured by how it protects them.
The statistics for 2026 tell a story of incredible medical
resilience but social fragility. We can perform heart surgery
on a foetus in the womb, yet we struggle to ensure that
same child has a mould-free bedroom to return to. The
‘quiet crisis’ of child mortality in the UK is not a medical
failure; it is a social one.

Photo Credit: Goda Morgan/www.pexels.com

The most dangerous time for a British child remains the
first 28 days of life. Neonatal deaths account for roughly
43% of all childhood fatalities. The primary drivers are
well-known: premature birth (gestational age under 37
weeks) and congenital anomalies. However, the risk is not
shared equally. Babies of Black or Black British ethnicity
face mortality rates more than double those of their White
British counterparts. In 2025, the death rate for Black
children was 58.1 per 100,000, compared to 22.7 for White
British children. This disparity has sparked a national
conversation about institutional bias in maternal healthcare
and the need for culturally competent prenatal support.
Family hubs
In response to all this, the government is moving toward
a First 1,000 Days strategy. A £100 million investment into It seems to me that Jesus has much to say about children
perinatal mental health and a £69 million injection into and childhood. Here are just some of his words:
Family Hubs aim to catch families before they fall through ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the
the cracks. kingdom of God.’
The 2024 Autumn Budget’s decision to focus 75% of ‘Unless you are born again and become like this little child,
Family Hub funding on the most deprived local authorities you have no part in me.’ Photo Credit: prostooleh/www.magnific.com
suggests a move toward ‘proportionate universalism’ – ‘Woe to them that causes one of these little ones to stumble.’
providing support for all, but with a scale and intensity They are at the centre of his vision for a new kind of
social reality, known as the kingdom of God. In this new
order, success is measured by the honour bestowed on the
weak, marginalised and insignificant. And also the capacity
of those in power to learn from those who have been
previously denied access to the levers of influence.
These social reports are a wake-up call to us all. What
kind of society will our children and grandchildren
inherit? As the nations of the world deal daily with global
warfare and economic shocks, Christians are faced with an
uncomfortable question: are we investing in the kingdom of
inequality and greed or in Jesus’ Kingdom of God? ,
Photo Credit: Dave Charnley Photography/https://familyhubs.middlesbrough.gov.uk

Find us online at www.plain-truth.org.uk Spring-Summer 2026 The Plain Truth 7