SACN report: feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities – 8th May 2024

SACN has undertaken a comprehensive review of the scientific basis of current dietary recommendations for feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years. The report considers:

• national survey data on food and nutrient intakes and status, the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and dental caries
• evidence from systematic reviews examining a number of dietary factors and child, adolescent and adult health outcomes, as well as evidence on factors that influence eating and feeding behaviour, and diversification of the diet in the early years

The report includes SACN’s recommendations to government and recommendations for future research. The annexes provide detailed information on the methods used (including literature search), data extraction evidence tables, quality assessment and grading of the systematic review evidence, and additional analyses.

This report forms part of a wider piece of work by SACN considering the evidence underpinning recommendations for feeding children up to 5 years of age, of which the first part, ‘Feeding in the first year of life’, was published in 2018.

You can view documents related to the consultation on the draft report. The documents include comments submitted during consultation and the response to each of these from SACN.

Further information – Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years – full report

Annex 1: UK and international recommendations on feeding young children and UK statutory schemes to improve diets in young children

Annex 2: methods used in the Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children and the National Diet and Nutrition Survey rolling programme

Annex 3: details of literature search

Worried and waiting: A review of paediatric waiting times in Scotland 2024

RCPCH Scotland – March 2024

This report, published March 2024, provides an analysis of paediatric waiting times data in Scotland from October 2012 to September 2023. The report contains data on waits for paediatric outpatients, inpatients and day cases and outlines our recommendations on how to support the child health workforce to provide safe, timely and effective care.

Read the report – Worried and waiting

Child and parental wellbeing: measuring outcomes and understanding their relation with poverty (Scottish Govt)

Scottish Government – 7th March 2024

Tackling child poverty and achieving the targets set by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 is imperative to improving the lives of Scotland’s children, young people and families.

Increasing incomes and reducing costs of living are important mechanisms for reducing poverty, but they are not the only mechanism.

Improving quality of life, and life chances, is important in building a solid long term foundation to support the lives of children, young people and families. For this, policies need to focus on enhancing wellbeing of children and families.

This report intends to be a first step in assessing wellbeing outcomes and understanding their relation with poverty for low income families.

Read the report – Child and parental wellbeing: measuring outcomes and understanding their relation with poverty

Day Case Paediatric Adenotonsillectomy Consensus Guidelines

ENT UK – 19 February 2024

In 2023 the British Association for Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology (BAPO) formed a working group with several organisations, including ENT UK, to produce consensus guidelines for hospital units undertaking adenotonsillectomy in children. This was to support them in achieving the 70% target for day case surgery as recommended by the NHS England Getting in Right First Time Programme (GIRFT).

Traditionally adenotonsillectomy surgery in children has been viewed as requiring at least an overnight stay post operatively. This was to monitor for bleeding and airway issues and to ensure adequate pain relief was achieved with a return to normal eating and drinking. However, numerous studies have been published showing that same day discharge is safe for the majority and is actually preferred by families. In the current climate there are also cost implications both to the NHS and to patients linked to a prolonged hospital stay. Day case surgery should allow more children to be treated in a timely fashion to help address the backlog for elective procedures which has arisen post COVID.

Further information – Day Case Paediatric Adenotonsillectomy Consensus Guidelines

The Health of the Next Generation: Good Food For Children.

The Faculty of Public Health – January 2024

The Faculty of Public Health has led a coalition of health organisations and charities in publishing this report. It calls on the government to protect the health and productivity of our next generation by expanding access to the Free School Meal programme, National School Breakfast programme, and the Healthy Start voucher scheme

The Health of the Next Generation: Good Food For Children.

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people

Department of Health and Social Care – 8th January 2024

The mental health of babies, children and young people (BCYP) influences their current and future health, as well as their wider life chances and outcomes. The early part of the life course, from birth to young adulthood (0 to 25 years), provides important opportunities for promoting and protecting mental health.

These 3 documents:

• highlight the wide range of modifiable factors that interact to influence the mental health of BCYP, summarising them in a framework
• convey opportunities across the BCYP life course to both promote and minimise risks to the mental health of BCYP
• provide information on activities being taken across government that positively impact upon the mental health of BCYP

This information can be used as a prompt for stakeholders who work across different parts of a local system to:

• review what work is underway
• develop local frameworks to improve BCYP mental health
• identify where there might be gaps and opportunities for taking further action

Guidance – Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people

DfE publishes updated “Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023”

DFE – December 2023

“Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023” focuses on strengthening multi-agency working. It brings together new and existing guidance to emphasise that successful outcomes for children depend on strong multi-agency partnership working across the whole system of help, support and protection including effective work from all agencies with parents, carers, and families. We support this position – safeguarding is everyone’s business. There is a clear imperative to strengthen services to ensure that the most vulnerable babies, children and young people in our society are supported to achieve their full potential and are protected from harm.

This statutory guidance sets out key roles for individuals, organisations and agencies to deliver effective arrangements. It covers the legislative requirements, a framework for the three local safeguarding partners (local authorities, Integrated Care Boards and police), and a framework for child death reviews.  This revision has a renewed focus on how organisations and agencies provide:

• Early help
• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
• Child protection.

Of relevance to health visiting, the guidance introduces changes to the lead practitioner role. It clarifies that a broader range of practitioner can be the lead practitioner for children and families receiving support and services under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (Child in Need), and the requirements on local authorities and their partners to agree and set out local governance arrangements.

Further information – Statutory Guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023

Guidance: Improving practice with children, young people and families

Read iHV written response to the DfE – Working Together to Safeguard Children: changes to statutory guidance consultation

Infection related deaths of children and young people in England

HQIP – 14th December 2023

The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) has published its latest Thematic Report. Based on data from April 2019 to March 2022, this report includes child deaths where infection may have contributed to the death and those where infection provided a complete and sufficient explanation of death, and covers:

• Variations in incidence of child deaths with infection
• Infection related deaths
• Characteristics of children who died where infection may have contributed or caused the death and where infection provided a complete and sufficient explanation of death
• Details of the infections and their clinical presentations.

It also includes learning from Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) completed child death reviews where death was categorised as infection, as well as next steps.

Read the Report – Infection related deaths of children and young people in England

Reducing health inequalities faced by children and young people

NHS Providers – October 2023

This report sets out the data and evidence of the health inequalities experienced by children and young people. It outlines the rationale for shifting attention towards this age group to prevent health inequalities later in life. It also considers the role that trusts can play in targeting interventions towards improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people who are more likely to experience inequalities. The report also highlights the existing work of trusts to reduce children and young people’s health inequalities within case studies from Barts Health NHS Trust and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Reducing health inequalities faced by children and young people

Infant and early childhood mental health: the case for action

Royal College of Psychiatrists (2023)

Developed in consultation with parents and more than a dozen charities and other organisations, our landmark report identifies evidence-based interventions that can be provided to babies, under 5s and their families to minimise the risk of lifelong mental health conditions. With half of mental health conditions established by age 14, there is overwhelming evidence for providing support at the earliest opportunity. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: the case for action makes nine recommendations to bridge the current treatment gap and provides a blueprint on how to deliver a future where fewer young people develop mental health conditions – setting out the required actions needed by government, commissioners and other decision-makers. It also features examples of existing good practice, such as the Wandsworth Early Help: Parental Mental Health Service in South London, Salford Early Help Service and Hertfordshire Community Perinatal Mental Health Service.

Read the Report – Infant and early childhood mental health: the case for action