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Healthy lives, brighter futures: the strategy for children and young people's health

On 12 February 2009, the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) published the UK government’s long term vision of a 21st century children's health service (Healthy lives, brighter future: the strategy for children and young people's health) aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of all children, including funds to support children with disabilities and their families.

The joint strategy sets out for the first time what children and their families can expect from child health services in their areas from birth through to the age of 19. Alongside additional money for children with disabilities and their families, the strategy also envisages new packages of support for all children and young people, including:

• Stronger and better joined up support during the crucial early years of life, including more health visitors;
• A strengthened role for Sure Start Children's Centres with, for the first time, each Children's Centre having access to a named health visitor;
• Expansion of the Family Nurse Partnerships programme to support first time mothers from 30 to 70 sites by 2011, with a view to rolling it out across England over the next decade;
• The development and testing of a new antenatal programme and preparation for parenthood package for mothers and fathers;
• Free school meal pilots looking at the health and educational benefits of universal access.

Healthy lives, brighter futures: the strategy for children and young people's health