Wales Releases ‘Healthy Child Program’

27 Sep 2016 --- Wales has released a ‘Healthy Child Program’, a strategy designed to tackle and prevent childhood health issues and obesity. The plan includes a range of evidence-based preventative and early intervention measures, as well as advice and guidance to support parenting and healthy lifestyle choices.

The program will ensure every child up to the age of seven receives consistent and universal health services in Wales, and was launched by the Minister for Social Services and Public Health, Rebecca Evans.

Speaking about the new program, Evans said: “The Welsh Government is committed to addressing health inequalities and adverse childhood experiences. Healthy Child Wales will help us to do this and tackle the significant challenge that child poverty has on delivering improved health outcomes.”

She continued, “Healthy Child Wales, which has been a collaborative service-led program, has given us the opportunity to reassess health services for children and use the latest evidence to develop an agreed all-Wales approach to monitoring and supporting child development.”

The program sets out what planned contacts children and their families can expect from their health boards from maternity service handover to the first years of schooling. These universal contacts cover three areas of intervention, including screening, immunization and monitoring and supporting child development.

The plan document draws on evidence that suggests that an investment in early years significantly improves health, social and educational development and long-term outcomes. Furthermore, it comments that the failure to address harmful behavior in early years can have a dramatic impact on the child and society.

Minster Rebecca Evans hopes that this structured national program for children and their families will support them in addressing potentially harmful behaviors. The program was announced at an event to celebrate health visitors at the Swalec Stadium, Cardiff and will be implemented from the 1 October by all Welsh health boards.