Summary The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age 2, is a critical phase during which the foundations of a child’s development are laid. If a child’s body and brain develop well then their life chances are improved. Exposure to stresses or adversity during this period can result in a child’s development falling behind their peers. Left unaddressed...

State of Child Health: One Year On The State of Child Health 2017, uncovered alarming inequalities in the health and wellbeing of children across the UK and a clear disparity with the rest of Western Europe. One year on, our scorecard reveals that although progress has been made in some areas, in general, the picture for infants, children and young people remains largely unchanged across England. Government has taken some steps in the right direction. The successful passage of the soft...

State of Child Health: One Year On Child health in Scotland ranks among the worse in Western Europe, and the disparity between children living in the most and least affluent communities is unacceptably wide. One in four children – 210,000 – live in poverty, 28% are overweight or obese and many of the approximately 400 deaths among infants, children and young people each year are avoidable. In January 2017, we published a report, the State of Child Health, in which we presented...

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a call for evidence to help inform a review into improving health and development outcomes of babies and young children in England. They want to hear from new parents, health service professionals, charities, volunteer groups and academics. The consultation closes 16 October 2020. Click on the link . The closing date for responses is 11:59pm on Friday 16 October 2020.