A new government survey is being launched to better understand the needs of young children and their parents in the Isle of Man.

As part of the Island Plan, parents and guardians with children up to the age of 11 are being asked to complete this year’s Health and Lifestyle survey to help develop parental support.

The survey by Public Health launched on Monday (May 12) and is one of a number of activities Public Health is undertaking to ensure youngsters are ready for primary and then secondary school.

This is part of ongoing work with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) towards addressing the early intervention priority in the Island Plan.

The government says input from parents and guardians of those entering secondary school and younger will help to obtain a better understanding of the current pressures and priorities for children and parents.

As part of the Island plan, the government is working to help address the early intervention priority. This includes a number of initiatives for early intervention including the oral health and childhood vaccination programmes.

Public Health has been working together with the DESC to identify opportunities for improvement in school readiness and parental support and this survey for parents and guardians is to help us obtain better understanding of the current pressures and priorities for children and parents.

Survey questions range from parents’ and guardians’ personal finances, time pressures and health and wellbeing and how they spend their spare time. But participants can choose which questions they feel comfortable answering.

Public Health aims to publish the results of the survey in January 2026.

Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford MHK believes the input from parents and guardians could be crucial in forming future policy.

He said: ‘Parents and guardians can help to make a difference in how we manage and develop parental support in the island.

‘The information they give by way of this survey will provide crucial insight to help us to identify gaps and potential opportunities for supporting families in the first years of a child's life.

‘We encourage parents with children in this age group to take part as all views are important.’

The results will help the government to understand the pressures and challenges being felt by parents and children living on the Isle of Man. This will help to identify gaps and potential opportunities for supporting children and families in the first years of a child's life and their readiness to attend school.

The survey is available until midnight Wednesday, May 28 and should take up to 30 minutes to complete.

Those wishing to take part can respond online, or for a paper copy, call Public Health on 642639 to leave a message with your home address. All answers are entirely anonymous and confidential.