Consultation: The Healthy Child Programme

Consultation: The Healthy Child Programme

Following significant engagement with families, children and young people, the council has decided to redesign the Healthy Child Programme and improve the services for the children and families of Westmorland and Furness.

Based on the feedback we have received so far, we are sharing the changes we would like to see and give you a chance to have your say in how the service is delivered in the future.

What is the Healthy Child Programme?

Our model is based on the National Healthy Child Programme Guidance (2023)

The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) offers every family a programme of interventions, including screening tests, immunisations, developmental reviews, and information and guidance to support parents, children, and young people to grow, develop and thrive.

The Healthy Child Programme is for all, building healthy communities for families and children. It includes a range of activity from universal services for all through to intensive support.

Why do we want to change how we deliver the Healthy Child programme in Westmorland and Furness?

We want to make sure we’re providing a consistent service across our council area and can meet the varying levels of need across the 0-19 age range.

Our latest data and feedback tells us the needs of our children, families and diverse communities have changed and we need to ensure our services change with them.

We have the opportunity to think differently about how we deliver our services and use all methods of delivery including digital and outreach - building on our communities’ strengths.

We want our new service to make a real difference and have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children and families in Westmorland and Furness.

How we are proposing to change our Healthy Child Programme offer

We have chosen to split the model into 3 ‘pillars’:

• 0-5 Health Visiting
• 5-19 Public Health Nursing
• Strengthening Families

There will be clear links and pathways between the pillars. Families will be supported if they need to move between or access services across each of these different pillars.

We feel these three pillars will make it clear to families, children, and young people what the HCP service offers for different ages and making sure they can access the right support for them at the right time, in the right way.

Download more detailed information on our proposals (Link will open in new window).

What’s different?

• Key priorities and issues will focus on improving outcomes, and performance will be closely monitored
• A clear, easy to understand service offer
• Improved and additional community outreach
• Improved antenatal offer including vulnerable antenatal pathway
• Increased capacity for 5-19 Public Health Nursing to offer Early Help support
• Refocus of Strengthening Families – intervening earlier to prevent escalation and including offering support for 5-19 complex early help
• All 0-5 cases which are not receiving an intervention from Strengthening Families will remain on the Health Visitor caseload
• Improved technology - enabling better use of time
• Improved healthy weight and oral health offer
• 5-year-old vision screening no longer delivered in schools; clear promotion and signposting to local opticians will be in place

Contact familylife@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk if you’d like more information before completing this survey.