Key contacts
Connecting Care for Children – Beatrice Liddle , Rianne Steele, Jennifer Davidson
Afsoon Sepahzad, Rocio Rodriguez Belmonte
Mando Watson, Caroline Scott-Lang
Introduction
Parents engaged with the Connecting Care for Children Patient Academy expressed a desire for evidence based advice from professionals on infant health topics.
The Children’s Health For Life (CHFL) pilot was free to all, co-designed with parents and delivered by a multidisciplinary team of child health professionals through local children’s centre. The pilot delivered four workshops covering; Baby Resus, childhood illnesses, infant nutrition and growth, and infant development and safety. The programme is comprehensive yet fully adaptable to the specific concerns of the cohort of parents being engaged with. The aim is to empower parents to proactively manage their child’s health, development and wellbeing through the first year of life and beyond.
Progress made: What have you learned from doing this?
Parents attending the CHFL workshops in different children’s centres in the North-West aerea of London, reported they have increased their parenting skills, knowledge and confidence. Parents valued the interactive nature of the sessions and the opportunity to ask child health professionals questions.
What’s your take home message?
Co-design and delivery of workshops with the local community provides a significant opportunity for both the community and child health professionals to learn from each other, to further enhance the health and wellbeing of local children.