Working together to raise the healthiest generation of children (In-person)

It's said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ - so how can the growing, changing village of today work better together to raise the healthiest generation of children?

Children growing up in England face some of the poorest health outcomes in Europe – and these outcomes are far from equal. Too many children are growing up in poverty, making them significantly more likely to experience poor health that can shape their lives for years to come.

Developed in partnership with Barnardo’s and co-produced with children and young people, this event invites an honest look at how well our current ‘village’ is working – and what needs to change. We will explore how the ‘neighbourhood health service’ can build relationships and work more closely with others across the system to bring parts of this wider ‘village’ together, delivering more holistic, joined-up care for children and families.

Drawing on existing examples, we will consider how aligning services and sharing information can help reach children where they are, and improve outcomes through a more people-centred way of working.

We will explore what it takes to build a more connected system, where families, communities, services and the state work together to create healthier environments – and where children’s voices are genuinely heard.

We will ask:

• What kind of ‘village’ will it take to reverse the downwards trend in children’s health?
• Are the ‘villagers’ – those shaping children’s health – working together as effectively as they could?
• How can children meaningfully influence decisions about their health and wellbeing?
• How do we better support children facing inequalities, including those affected by poverty?

We will challenge ourselves to think more broadly about who makes up the village – considering the roles of business, education and communities in both physical and digital environments.

At the heart of this event are the voices of children and young people, who have helped shape the programme and will actively take part on the day – engaging with speakers, sharing their perspectives and challenging us to work together to improve outcomes.

Drawing on real-world examples of effective partnership working, this event will explore how we build a more cohesive, preventative approach to children’s health – recognising that prevention needs to start in childhood – whilst also valuing children’s health and wellbeing now, not just in the future.

We hope to see you there.