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HEAD Start
Offering support and education to families and children to help encourage healthier lifestyle behaviours.
The service
Our service supports children and young people aged 5 to 17 years old who were found to be over the healthy weight range according to a recent body mass index (BMI) measurement.
We work closely with the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) and with our local GP surgeries to find children who could benefit from our service.
If you have been contacted by us or have received a letter from the National Child Weight Management Programme informing you that your child is over the healthy weight range, we understand that this can bring feelings of concern or shame. Firstly, we would like to reassure you that you are not alone, about 30% of the children in the UK are estimated to be over the healthy weight range.
Our focus is on empowering families to make healthy choices without shame, and weight is discussed with a focus on promoting good health outcomes.
We understand that weight can be impacted by various factors and aim to provide a personalised approach for you and your family’s wellbeing.
Referral information:
If you are interested in being seen, please complete this form
Complete a child weight management form
What to expect
Our nutritionists work directly with patients, providing guidance on healthy eating and physical activity.
Children and families are first invited to attend a session with a nutritionist who will discuss diet habits and physical activity levels.
Based on this conversation, your nutritionist will work with you both to create a plan to improve certain parts of your child’s health, and review if any appropriate exercise programmes are available.
Around three months later, we will bring you both back for your child’s first follow-up appointment to review progress and discuss any issues, at the end of this session you will both have an updated plan and additional guidance.
A second follow-up appointment is arranged six months after the initial appointment to review long-term progress, discuss the effectiveness of changes made, and provide guidance as necessary before discharge from the service.
Between appointments, our link worker will be checking in to provide support. They will also connect your child to other services that can help them make positive changes.
Impact
- Children and families who attend our service have positive outcomes. 70% of children we work with either lose or maintain weight.
- On average, children successfully took on two lifestyle changes and one exercise change.
- 96% would recommend the service to family and friends. Feedback also described us as friendly, able to handle a delicate conversation well, and able to tailor the conversation to the child’s needs.
- In 2024, we were also nominated for a Valued Award for our “innovative approach to addressing health inequalities among children in East Haringey”