Child health promotion

The Children Act (2004) places a responsibility on health practitioners to work together to help a child be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and achieve economic well-being. This chapter covers the assessment of children, screening tests for vision and hearing, the immunization schedule, and accident prevention. It includes information for working with parents, providing support to new parents, and new birth visits. It then covers pre-term infants, new babies (including twins and multiple births), breast and bottle feeding, and weaning. Growth and development milestones are explained for different age ranges. The promotion of development, toilet training, good food habits, speech and language acquisition, and communication are all covered. The chapter also covers puberty and adolescence, health promotion in schools, sex and relationship education, and child and adolescent mental health. Separately, the care of children with complex health needs, disabilities, and special educational needs is described. Safeguarding children, identifying at-risk individuals, child protection processes, and the care of looked-after children are all included.