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Ministers urge frontline services to prioritise child health

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release (2008/0033) issued by The Government News Network on 17 March 2008

Twenty new test sites for The Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Health Minister Anne Keen, with Children's Minister Beverley Hughes, today highlighted the importance of child health for all children and families and urged Commissioners to make a new health programme a priority.

The new updated Child Health Promotion Programme (CHPP) builds on the NSF that was published in 2004. It is intended to provide services tailored to the individual needs of children and families, acting as a best practice guide for health and social services.

The programme aims to,
- provide services tailored to individual needs, risks and choices with a focus on reducing inequalities
- provide greater emphasis on promoting the health and well being of children early - in pregnancy and beginning of life
- encourage partnership working between different agencies on local service development (e.g. general practice and children's centres)
- focus services on changing public health priorities - obesity, breast feeding, social and emotional development

Anne Keen said
"The Child Health Promotion Programme should be a universal service for all children and families and must be taken seriously. Commissioners need to recognise that this can be a valuable tool for meeting their obligations on breastfeeding, obesity prevention, infant mortality and the 12-week antenatal assessment.

"A high quality programme will help them meet these vital requirements, but also help to improve general health and well being among children and families in our communities."

At the launch of the updated programme, Beverly Hughes also announced details of 20 new sites which will test the Family Nurse Partnership scheme - a £30million expansion of an initiative which forms a core part of the CHPP.

The partnership is a model of intensive nurse-led home visiting for vulnerable first time young parents which involves family nurses visiting young, disadvantaged young parents from early pregnancy until the child is two years old. Nurses build close, supportive relationships with families and guide inexperienced teenagers to adopt healthier lifestyles, improve their parenting skills, and become self-sufficient.

The Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) and Department of Health began been piloting the programme in April 2007.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said:
"Families don't operate in silos, and so neither must services. That is why this Government has invested almost £2 billion into Sure Start Children Centre's, which bring together under one roof, healthcare, family support and childcare to all families. Harmonising CHHP through children's centres will make sure that families receive these services when and where they need them.

"The CHHP is aimed at preventing health risks such as obesity, smoking, as well as promoting breastfeeding, and supporting parents to help children in those crucial early years.

"The expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership scheme will also be delivered through children's centres and there has been great local interest in this programme with over 50 PCTs and Local Authorities wanting to take part. As part of the £30million cash boost to this programme, a further 20 programmes will be available to help and support families. I'm pleased to hear that progress is being made by the current ten pilot areas over the last year. We still have much to learn about the programme but I look forward to seeing the full evaluation due out later this year."

Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband said:
"The Family Nurse Partnership is a great example of a service that 'Thinks Family'. It provides tailored and sustained support to young and vulnerable families, building on strengths to help parents achieve their potential and give children the best possible start in life.

"I am delighted that this programme is being expanded so that even more families across the country can benefit. "

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The new updated Child Health Promotion Programme (CHPP) can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk

- PSA delivery agreements
This updated CHPP has been designed to support delivery of a range of cross government Public Service Agreement (PSA) indicators including:

- PSA Delivery Agreement 12 - Improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people: Indicator 1, Prevalence of breast feeding at six to eight weeks; and Indicator 3, Levels of obesity in children under 11 years.

- PSA Delivery Agreement 13 - Improve children and young people's safety: Indicator 3, Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries to children and young people.

- PSA Delivery Agreement 19 - Ensure better care for all: Indicator 4, The percentage of women who have seen a midwife or a maternity healthcare professional, for health and social care assessment of needs, risks and choices by 12 completed weeks of pregnancy.

- PSA Delivery Agreement 18 - Promote better health for all: Indicator 3, Smoking prevalence.

Details can be found at http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk

2. The Family Nurse Partnership scheme was announced in October 2007 and was piloted at ten sites.

The 20 new test sites chosen for the Family Nurse Partnership Programme are Sunderland, Cumbria, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Hull, Nottingham, Calderdale, Stockport, South Birmingham, Coventry, North East Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Islington, Lambeth, Hastings and Rother, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and Southampton.

3. The funding for the expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership from the Comprehensive Spending Review will be split as follows: £5m in 08/09; £10m in 09/10; £15m in 10/11.