Healthy Child Programme

The Healthy Child Programme is a comprehensive plan to monitor and evaluate and protect the health of children from the first months of pregnancy through age 19, available to every family in the UK. The Programme is run and funded by the local authority in order to best meet the unique needs of each community. The Healthy Child Program offers a wide variety of services aimed at providing for physical, mental and emotional well-being of the child, parents and family as a whole.The Healthy Child Programme has a long list of desired impacts, including "strong parent child attachment," "prevention of some serious and communicable diseases," and "early detection of - and action to address - developmental delay, abnormalities and ill health, and concerns about safety." A complete list of goals can be found on page 3, here. The Programme utilizes a combination of statutory law and recommendations to improve the lives of children and young people through frequent monitoring and check-ups. These check-ups seek to identify the different health needs of children, young people, parents and families so they can be readily and effectively addressed by experts and health visitors. A wide variety of services are offered, which are broken down below:

From Pregnancy to Age 5 

From pregnancy to age 5, many of the health services provided through the Healthy Child Programme family are done so through ahealth visitor, who enters the homes of families to offer advice, help and resources to new parents with young children. Health visitors offer or facilitate a wide variety of services:
  • Regular Checkups: beginning at the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and continuing regularly through the first weeks of life, these appointments serve as an opportunity for health visitors to evaluate not only consist of physical examinations, they also take in to account the environment as well, noting any risk factors that could affect any aspect of the child's development. Major assessments are conducted at ages one, two and a half, and before children enter school. These check-ups are vital for catching developmental disorders, sickness, or any type of abnormaility, whether it is physical, mental or psychological
  • Immunisations: children are provided with immunisation for many different communicable diseases, including polio, tetanus and many others, beginning for most 8 weeks after birth, continuing through childhood. 
  • Support for At-Risk Children: home visit programs, as well as one-to-one intervention with specialists and experts work to create a safe environment for young children to grow. Health visitors can diagnose the needs of each particular family and child to give them the support they need.
  • Dental Care: parents are advised on how to best ensure proper dental care for children at a young age, beginning when teeth first erupt. This includes advice and guidance on diet and proper dental hygiene that can be taught as the child grows.
  • Visual Health: vision checks occur between ages four and five as children enter school to ensure that each student is able to understand what they are learning.
  • Promotion of Healthy Lifestyle: Healthy diet and exercise are encouraged in a variety of different ways, beginning at an early age. The Programme places an emphasis on breastfeeding during infancy, and seeks to educate parents as well as young children about a healthy diet. The program encourages an active lifestyle. Policies such as the free healthy lunch program for children in year one and year two, as well as teaching of several simple, healthful recipes to children in the fifth year are direct results of this emphasis.
  • Intervention for Children with Developmental Needs: children with special educational needs or a physical or emotional disorder can be diagnosed at a young age, thanks to the routine checkup procedure, and receive the special treatment they will need earlier on as a result. 
  • Educational Concessions: Starting with the free distribution of Bookstart packages at 7 months and 3 years old, young children begin their education at a very young age with books provided by the programme, so they are best prepared for reception.
  • Psychological and Emotional Support: health visitors make note of the child or young person's mental and emotional well-being, taking into account the environment that young person lives in. If necessary, the visitor can intervene if there are warning signs in the child's behavior or environment.
  • Special Educational Needs: some special needs, such as Down's syndrome can be diagnosed at birth, but others take more time to diagnose. As soon as a special educational need is recognized, the Programme lays out a path to getting families the proper care.

From Ages 5 to 19

Starting when children enter school, the the school health adviser and other education personnel adopt many responsibilities held by the health visitor in early life, as they have a responsibility to monitor the well-being of children and young people, and the ability to intervene if they can tell something is going wrong. This continues into further education, and even the justice system. There are a wide variety of services targeted at children and young people 5-19, including:
  • Health and Nutrition: all schools in the UK are statutorily required as of 2009 to prepare food that measures up certainnutritional standards. Additionally, each school is required to adhere to the National Curriculum on PE, giving young people an allotted amount of time during school specifically for physical activity. Additionally, support and referral to weight management services can be offered to the families of obese children or young people.
  • Emotional and Psychological Support: schools are legally required to prevent bullying, and it is recommended by the program that all parents and students should have access to theSocial and Emotional Aspects of Learning program (SEAL), as well as the Targeted Mental Health in Schools program (TaMHS). These programs, if enacted, would provide a strong basis for monitoring and protecting the mental and emotional health of all children and young people. This includes providing further intervention for those suffering from mental illness and emotional difficulties.
  • Substance Abuse Support: Referral to support services should be available for young people in need of aid with substance abuse problems as part of the Programme.
  • Sexual Health: as members of the Programme shift into young adulthood, service providers should be able to provide them with guidance on safe sexual health practices, as well as anonymous access to safe contraception options. In certain cases where it is necessary, one-to-one intervention is also an option.
  • Special Educational Needs: the Programme indicate schools should provide intervention for children and young people who are struggling in school. If, despite this intervention, the student continues to struggle, the procedure outline in the SEN Code of Practice should be followed, and an EHC assessment should be undertaken to evaluate the child's needs.
For Parents
The Healthy Child Programme offers a great deal of support to parents, especially through pregnancy and the early life of the child. This is done to provide the child with the most nurturing environment possible in which to grow. A wide variety of services are recommended based on the needs of each individual family,so that each solution is best for each family.
  • Midwifery: each mother is assigned a midwife home visitor who will be there to aid them throughout the pregnancy and birth process. This home visitor will provide everything from emotional support and pointing parents-to-be to helpful community resources to assessing the health of mother and baby all the way through delivery. 
  • Family Counseling Services: health visitors will evaluate the family dynamic during each visit, taking into account parent child and partner interactions. This is done with the goal of ensuring a safe and comfortable for the child to grow up in.
  • Education: NHS Information Service for Parents provides access to a multitude of parenting information via text, phone call, or over the internet, and there are many public health manuals, readily available at no cost, such as The Pregnancy Book andBirth to Five that offer a wide variety of information for parents and can point them to helpful services. The program also actively discourages smoking and alcohol abuse, while encouraging breastfeeding, sensitive parenting, home safety and other evidence-based parenting methods that have shown to lead to a healthier, happier childhood. Other educational resources are available for at-risk, unemployed or young parents allowing them to better provide a stable lifestyle for their child.
  • Support Services: For all new parents, with special emphasis on vulnerable mothers and parents of children with health or development problems. Support can also be provided to parents with learning disabilities, those struggling with depression, anxiety. 
  • Intervention Services: offered for parents who smoke, and are required for parents who abuse drugs,have serious mental illness or in cases of domestic violence. These interventions can take many different forms based on the needs of the family and the severity of the problem.
For further information:
This information is meant to be helpful but Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be responsible for any loss caused by reliance upon it.  If you have concerns about your child, please seek professional educational/healthcare advice.  Should you find anything which you believe to be inaccurate please Contact Us as soon as possible.