Growing Healthy 0-19 Darlington

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for providing 0-19 services in Darlington on behalf of Darlington Borough Council through a Section 75 Agreement.

Section 75 Agreements are designed to improve the experience of services for the people who use them.

Single Point of contact telephone number: 03000 030013

The role of the 0-5 Service is to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of children under five and their families. The 5-19 team promotes and protects the health and wellbeing of all children and young people aged 5 to 19.

0-5 Children’s Service

All families with a child under five in Darlington have access to a Growing Healthy 0-5 Team consisting of health visitors, Screeners, early years practitioners and infant feeding specialists. They provide expert health assessments, advice, support and interventions for babies, children and families.

The team encourages and supports parents and carers to develop life-long skills to enable them to make informed choices that affect their family’s future health and wellbeing.

The team is community-based and is accessible at a range of different venues including the family home, Family centres and community venues. The service works in partnership with other agencies to ensure all families receive individualised and appropriate support.

Health Visitors

Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have an additional qualification in specialist community public health nursing. They are highly skilled in the assessment and co-ordination of support tailored to individual and family needs.

The team aims to help build parents’ confidence in their ability to give their child the best start in life and listen carefully and support when parents have concerns. It identifies and builds on what is going well, and provides information to help parents find their own solutions to problems where possible.

The Darlington Growing Healthy 0-5 Service offers a programme of:

• Screening tests
• Immunisation advice
• Developmental reviews
• Maternal and Infant Mental Health Support
• Information and guidance to support parenting and healthy lifestyle choices

Healthy Child Programme (HCP)

The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) is a public health programme for children, young people and families which focuses on early intervention and prevention. The HCP offers a programme of screening tests, immunisations, developmental reviews, information and guidance to support parenting and healthy lifestyle choices.

The Healthy Child Programme contacts include:

• Antenatal contact
• New birth visit at 10-14 days
• Contact at 6-8 weeks
• Contact at 3-4 months
• A child health review/development assessment by one year of age
• A child health review/development assessment by two and a half years of age
• A child health review/development assessment may be offered between 3-5 years

Some common areas of information and support:

• Pregnancy and transition into parenthood
• Infant feeding/ specialist breast feeding support
• Growth and nutrition
• Healthy eating
• Dental health
• Development
• Behaviour
• Accident prevention
• Safe sleeping
• Speech and language development
• Immunisations
• Common childhood illness/infection
• Safeguarding
• Postnatal depression and emotional wellbeing
• Parenting

Our service is delivered in partnership with a range of health, social and education organisations and teams including:

• CAMHS
• Early Help
• Early Years Education providers
• GPs/paediatricians
• Voluntary sector
• Sexual Health Services

Child health clinics

Child health and infant feeding clinics are held across Darlington Borough, see clinic tab at the top of the page. Clinic appointments can be booked via the Children’s Health Services App or by calling 03000030013 

Referral

The service accepts referrals from:

• Midwifery services
• GPs and other professionals
• Self-referral from parents/carers
• Other statutory and voluntary agencies

Darlington SEND Local Offer

5-19 Healthy Child Service

We work with children, young people and families to empower and enable them to make informed decisions about health and to support them in transitioning safely and happily into adult life. The Darlington Growing Healthy 5-19 Team works in the home and community settings to deliver universal and targeted interventions designed to meet public health outcomes. We ensure the emotional and physical health and wellbeing of families, children and young people across Darlington.

We provide a service to all children and young people of school age, and their families, whether or not they are attending school. The service is based on the Healthy Child Programme from 5-19 years old. We offer advice and information and assess health needs on children entering school and on transfer to secondary schools. We are the first point of contact for schools when there are concerns about a child’s health and wellbeing.

We are also responsible for:

• Measuring and weighing children in reception and year 6 as part of the National Child Measurement Programme
• Universal screening for vision and audiology for reception children
• Providing first level enuresis (involuntary urination) advice and support
• Providing emotional health and wellbeing support
• Supporting children and families with additional health needs or disability
• Parenting and behavioural problems
• Risk taking behaviour including drugs and alcohol
• Stop smoking advice
• Relationships, sexual health and pregnancy
• Promoting healthy lifestyles in schools and communities through health education

Specialist advice and support will also be offered to:

Children in need of protection and their families; children and families in need; foster carers and children who are in care.

Growing Healthy Darlington 5-19 Team

The team comprises specialist community public health nurses (School Nurse), community staff nurses , Public Health Practitionor, school screeners and health administrators.

We work closely with Health Visitors so that children and families with complex health and social care needs are identified early. We support the development and implementation of health management plans to promote the child’s health and wellbeing, school attendance, education and attainment.

When young people and families require targeted interventions, these may be provided solely by the School Nursing Team.

Service Manager – Caren Shepherd

Locality Manager – Michelle Eccles and Hayley Agnew

Teens and Young Adults

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