Building bridges: integrating early education with family support in England and Scotland
Think tank: Nesta
Author(s): Ben Bryant; Natalie Parish; Sam Baars; Jodie Reed
June 30, 2026
This report from Nesta explores integrating early education with family support in England and Scotland.
Nesta commissioned Isos Partnership to run an exploratory study of current and ideal levels and types of service integration between ECEC/ELC and wider family support.
The report seeks to fill the knowledge gap by drawing on evidence from nine local area deep dives, an online survey of 65 local authorities, and responses from 57 early years providers.
It maps current integration practices and essential ingredients to effectively integrate early education and care (ECEC) in England and early learning and childcare (ELC) in Scotland with wider family support services.
