Child Health

The Public Health Directorate provides clinical public health advice; support and leadership to maintain protect and improve children's health and child health services.

To do this the service works closely with Primary Care, the NHS combined child health team and local and national partners including Local Authorities, Police, NHS Health Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Childhood Obesity HEAT 3 Targets

The Scottish Government has set targets for NHS Boards to provide interventions which address childhood obesity.

• To learn more, visit the  Childhood Obesity page.

GIRFEC

Getting It Right For Every Child - is another key strand of Scottish Government Policy and sets out the expectation that all agencies in all sectors work together to ensure every child has the best possible start in life and is safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included.

• GIRFEC

Public Health Nursing Review

NHS Forth Valley is currently conducting a major review of public health nursing (Health Visiting) services with the objective of improving efficiency and effectiveness and providing greater support to vulnerable children and families. The CPHM (Acute Services and Child Health) plays a key leadership role in this review which supports key policies such as the Early Years Framework and GIRFEC.

• The Early Years Framework
• GIRFEC

Combined Child Heath Service

The NHS Forth Valley Child Health clinical team provides a combined child health service covering both Acute and Community Child Health.

From July 2011, Acute Children's services will be relocated to the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services will continue to be based at Randolph Road, Stirling with clinics in Falkirk, Stirling and Alloa.

•  Forth Valley Royal Hospital 
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services 

Child Protection Team

A key element of NHS Child Health Services is Child Protection.

• For details of the NHSFV Child Protection Service visit the Child Protection web page.

Early Years Framework

The framework is a key Scottish Government Policy and is about giving all our children the best start in life and the steps the Scottish Government, local partners and Practitioners in early years service need to take.

Maternal and Early Years

A groundbreaking new web site developed by NHS Health Scotland is helping Early Years professionals take an innovative approach to supporting young children and families. This site includes regular evidence updates.

• The Early Years Framework
• Learning and Teaching Scotland
• The Financial Impact of Early Years Interventions in Scotland - Part 2: Joint Ministerial Foreword (PDF 197 kb - 11 pages)

Health and Wellbeing in Schools

The Health and Well-being in Schools project is delivered locally but led by Scottish Government.

• Health and Wellbeing in Schools

Child Health (ISD Scotland)

ISD Scotland has a Child Health Information Team which makes available detailed information relating to child health and well being in Scotland.

Child health surveillance | Breastfeeding | Hospital admission | Immunisation | Mortality | Obesity

• Child Health (ISD Scotland)

NHS Health Scotland

NHS Health Scotland leads a national project dedicated to involving and consulting involving. Recent materials which the Consultant in Public Health (Child Health) has helped produce, include the "we keep it zipped" confidentiality campaign and "Walk the Talk" guide to providing youth-friendly health services. For further details, please visit:

• Confidentiality Checklist
• Health Rights Information Scotland
• Walk the Talk
• Young People (NHS Health Scotland)

Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer information is published by ISD from the National Cancer Registry.

• Childhood Cancers in Scotland (1983-2007) (PDF 80 kb - 15 pages)
• Cancers in Teenagers and Young Adults in Scotland (1979-2008) (PDF 84 kb - 17 pages)

Early Years (NHS Health Scotland)

This site has links to many resources aimed at helping health professionals to provide support in the Early Years.

• Early Years (NHS Health Scotland)

Children in Scotland 

Children in Scotland is the national agency for voluntary, statutory and professional organisations and individuals working with children and their families in Scotland. They also produce a regular early years newsletter.

• Children in Scotland

A New Look at Hall 4 - the Early Years - Good Health for Every Child

This guidance has been developed following extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including front-line practitioners and parents/carers and takes account of the views expressed. It sets out the way forward for the successful delivery of Health for All Children (Hall 4) in the early years - a time where children's futures can be shaped by appropriate levels of support and intervention.

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It supplements the 2005 guidance - Health for All Children 4: Guidance on Implementation in Scotland - and addresses key issues identified as requiring further clarification. It is aimed at front-line practitioners, clinical leaders and others involved in the planning and delivery of health services to children and their families.

Whilst aimed at the NHS, it recognises the need for inter-professional and multi-agency working, to deliver the best quality of care and support for children and their families in the vital early years.

• A New Look at Hall 4 – the Early Years – Good Health for Every Child - Hall 4 section

Additional Support Needs

The rights of children and their parents are strengthened by the Additional Support for Learning Bill - Support Needs System.

• Children with Additional Needs

Support Needs System

The aim of the Support Needs System (SNS) is to enable early identification, assessment and monitoring of children with additional support needs - in a consistent manner across Scotland. A child might be identified as having additional support needs if they require support over and above that usually given to all children. This might be in the form of therapy or equipment and should be required for at least six months.

A child will be registered on the SNS if a health visitor, doctor or therapist involved with their care considers it appropriate and if his / her parent(s) or guardian(s) give permission.

• Support Needs System (SNS)

The Economic Case for Public Health Interventions.

Various recent reports have examined the economic case for investment in health promotion activity or additional investment in the early years.

• The Case for Public Health Interventions (PDF 83 kb - 12 pages)
• Joining the Dots: A better start for Scotland’s children (PDF 1,007 kb - 51 pages)
• The Financial Impact of Early Years Interventions in Scotland - Part 2: Joint Ministerial Foreword (PDF 197 kb - 11 pages)

* Please note that NHS Forth Valley Directorate of Public Health takes no responsibility for the accuracy or quality of external websites linked to from this page. If you have a query, please contact the Child Health Team.