Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The foundation for a healthy life starts in pregnancy and extends throughout childhood. To address inequalities, we need to narrow the gap in children's access to positive experiences in early life and prevent adverse childhood experiences. We know that many children and young people in Gateshead already live in circumstances which support them to have the best start in life. We know there are some families, or communities, where added pressures make the best start in life more difficult to achieve.

We know the importance of an environment that makes confident, resilient and positive parenting possible. 

We will continue to offer universal support to families through health and education services and deliver targeted support proportionately to meet the health and social needs of different families.

We know that investing in interventions early on, that support early years development, is the best way to help children achieve better outcomes throughout their lives.

We also understand how important transition points are in children's lives, and we will develop programmes to support them at each key milestone.

The action we will take

We will:

• focus our efforts on supporting confident, positive and resilient parenting, targeted to those who most need our support
• increase the focus of existing expenditure on early years to narrow the gap in early development 
• address the effects of adverse childhood experiences and trauma to improve the wellbeing of children and young children
• make sure maternity services, parenting programmes, childcare and early years' education are of high quality and meet the needs of all groups 
• support families to create a positive home learning environment to help children start school with a good level of development
• ensure children in our care, and those who are care experienced, have loving, stable homes and carers
• reduce inequality in child development and educational outcomes so that all children can thrive
• support schools to deliver an effective curriculum that addresses the skills required for later life and supports emotional, mental and physical health and wellbeing
• support Gateshead as a child friendly place through improving all building blocks of health reduce the long-term effects of child poverty and use local and regional opportunities to tackle poverty increase the proportion of free school meal eligible children who eat a school meal.
• Enable all children and young people to be physically active in line with the Chief Medical 
• Officers' recommended levels. (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d839543ed915d52428dc134/uk-chief-medical-officers-physical-activity-guidelines.pdf (opens new window))

We will deliver this through:

• Children and Young People's Partnership Strategy 
• Family Hubs and Best Start in Life and commissioned programmes 
• Education Schools and Inclusion including Gateshead Schools, early years and childcare settings
• Gateshead Safeguarding Children Partnership and Corporate Parenting Board
• Local VCSE organisations 
• Children and Young People's Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Transformation Plan 
• Gateshead SEND Strategy, Care Leavers Strategy and Young Carers Strategy 
• North East Child Poverty Action Plan and North East Child Poverty Reduction Unit
• Tackling Poverty Together Partnership strategy and action plan (in development)
• Gateshead Health Foundation Trust Corporate Strategy 
• Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Clinical Conditions Plan and Quality Strategy.
• Ongoing engagement with children and young people through groups including SEND youth forum; children in care council, Gateshead Youth assembly

We will know we have made a difference when:

• we address the root causes and prevent the events and circumstances which lead to adverse childhood experiences.
• parents and carers can access evidence based support programmes to build resilience and improve outcomes for children
• all families can access affordable, high quality childcare, when and where they need it
• child poverty is reduced
• all children start school ready to learn, with a good level of child development
• permanent school exclusions are reduced
• the gap in educational attainment and wellbeing for all is narrowed