These pages brings together important information for health professionals on caring for babies, children and young people. Please read and share this information widely to make sure that young people get the best possible care.
Working for babies – now is a time of possibility and opportunity
The first 1001 days, from pregnancy to age two, are an age of opportunity. This is a critically important period of rapid development that lays the foundations for later health, wellbeing and happiness. It is also a period of unique vulnerability, when babies are particularly reliant on adults and susceptible to their environment. There is a strong moral, social and economic case for ensuring local services and systems work effectively to support babies and their families during this formative life stage.This report has useful content for policy makers, commissioners and service providers across the UK. It describes how, in responding to the pandemic, local decision makers and providers have had to fulfil many of the same objectives they always face: to identify and understand the needs of babies and their families, and to provide effective and accessible services to meet these needs.
The impact of Covid-19 on London’s children and young people
Whilst most children and young people (CYP) with Covid-19 rarely have severe illness, the longer term impact on education, mental wellbeing, health service provision and poverty is profound and has exposed the fragile circumstances that many children live in. This report aims to provide an overview of the key impacts of Covid-19 on CYP in London to inform partnership action to mitigate them.
Traumatic Bereavement
Traumatically bereaved children and young people experience significant distress and difficulties, over and above a more typical grief. Traumatic bereavement can be easily missed or misunderstood by parents, teachers and even bereavement practitioners, meaning that children’s difficulties are not recognised. These resources will give school staff and practitioners the knowledge and tools they need to identify, help and support children and young people experiencing a traumatic bereavement.
Safeguarding and Covid-19 – Protecting children at a distance
This report considers safeguarding and professional practice during lockdown and social distancing measures related to Covid-19. It takes into account the challenges to intra- and inter-agency communication and the impact on joint working of actions taken by individual agencies. The study focuses on safeguarding and protection practice, practitioner working and the multi-agency response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Women and Children’s Creative Health Handbook: Wellbeing by Design
The Improving Me Partnership was determined to develop ‘something’ which addressed what can only be described as a gaping hole in resources to support a prevention focus predicated on asset-based working, which was just focused on women and children, that embodied a life course approach, that enshrined an unrelenting focus on health inequalities and addressing these where they start – in the womb. And which opened a door for the consideration of how a creative health approach could both address the need for prevention and promotion and treatment and management innovation simultaneously. Through collaboration and partnership we now have that resource: Women and Children’s Creative Health Handbook: Wellbeing by Design. Commissioned by Jo Ward for The Improving Me Programme.
Producing health information for children and young people
Children and young people frequently tell us they want to be involved in making choices and decisions about their care. Health issues can be scary; good information reduces anxiety and increases confidence. Access to sensitive, accurate, accessible and well-timed information makes the world of difference to physical and emotional wellbeing, helping put children in control, resulting in better outcomes. If you want to know what good health information for children and young people looks like and understand what opportunities there are to co-produce information with them, check out this fantastic guide.
Ready to use resources for teachers to support their students
Helping you teach PSHE, RHE and RSHE to Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4 students, with flexible, ready-to-use content co-created with teachers, and young people. While you support students, Every Mind Matters is here to support you by providing simple, practical advice for a healthier mind. This includes a range of materials including:
Safeguarding Children and Young People Declaration
This declaration sets out how we keep babies, children and young people safe across our services, in line with national and local guidance.