What is The Healthy Child Programme?
The healthy child programme is a national framework which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people. It is aimed at those aged 0 to 19 (25 for care leavers or those living with special educational needs and disabilities) in England.
It sets out evidence-based approaches to prevention, early intervention and family support, supporting the government’s ambition of raising the healthiest ever generation of children.
Middlesbrough Council is statutorily responsible for commissioning the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) for children aged 0–19 (up to 25 for SEND/care leavers), which is led on it’s behalf by Public Health South Tees (PHST)
What is happening to Healthy Child Programme Support for young people aged 11-19?
The 11-19 healthy child programme will be developed to focus on prevention and early intervention and it is envisaged that this new service model will focus on non-clinical preventative interventions such as emotional wellbeing, healthy lifestyles (weight, diet, activity), relationships and sexual health, highlighted as key areas of need during the 2024 review of the old service.
Changes to Middlesbrough’s Healthy Child Programme offer for young people aged 11-19
- Middlesbrough Council are in the process of reviewing what Healthy Child Programme support is delivered for our young people aged 11–19.
- Work will develop a new service for young people aged 11-19 in Middlesbrough with appraisal around where the service is best placed to sit.
- The focus will be developing a bespoke service for those 11-19 recognises that young people today face emerging health and well-being issues, including contemporary issues around healthy relationships, emotional health and contextual harms which require a refreshed approach.
- The new service will offer both universal and targeted interventions expected to commence 1st April 2027.
- During mid 2026 workshops and consultation will be undertaken in conjunction with stakeholders, these will look at needs of partners to help co-design a service (see link) Stakeholder Consultation – Healthy child programme offer for 11-19 years
- Consultation and workshops with children and young people to capture their voice for the design of the new service that better meets their health and well-being needs.
Why are the changes needed?
During 2024 PSHT undertook a review of the existing 0-19 Healthy Child Programme Service, which included reviewing local data and focus groups with stakeholders. It identified that the current service model for children age 5-19 offered little public health provision and was not delivering any direct interventions within schools. The service was primarily offered input into safeguarding strategy meetings, completing health needs assessments for children subject to strategy processes, and delivering only minimal brief interventions.
The health and wellbeing needs of the Middlesbrough 11-19 population are very different from children aged 11 years and under. Young people aged 11-19 would benefit from a separate healthy child programme offer of their own that meets their needs.
To deliver this vision the council will develop a 0-11 Healthy Child Programme Service for children aged below secondary school age and develop a new bespoke 11-19 young person’s healthy child programme service.
Consultation sharing your views
Over coming weeks PHST will be consulting with stakeholders, schools, young people, parents and key partners through a series of activities to help design a modern, accessible service that strengthens health and well-being and supports prevention.
Stakeholder engagement and young person’s voices will directly shape the new model and service for a launch of the new service April 2027.
As part of the initial scope of development of this piece of work Public Health South Tees have developed a stakeholder consultation which we are inviting partners to complete to capture their views for the needs of the new service., see link below
Stakeholder Consultation – Healthy child programme offer for 11-19 years
Support for children aged 11-19 between 1st April 2026- 31st March 2027
In the interim stage, local services are available for children and young people both in school and in the community and PHST will continue to offer a number of key services for children and young people.
A list of local health services available can be found here: Access to Health Services | Explore Healthcare Options Today — Public Health South Tees.
If you are an interested stakeholder and would like to find out more or have any questions please contact myself on ralph_presgrave@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Please feel free to circulate to your wider networks
Ralph Presgrave
Project Manager – Young peoples service
Public Health South Tees
E: ralph_presgrave@middlesbrough.gov.uk
T: 01642 728377
Published: April 10