Opinion: The Minister's View - Your role in children's health provision

Last month, my department and the Department of Health announced the first-ever Child Health Strategy. As well as setting out plans for the biggest investment in services for disabled children, the joint strategy, 'Healthy Lives, Brighter Future: the Strategy for Children and Young People's Health', sets out for the first time what children, young people and their families can expect from child health services in their areas from birth through to the age of 19.

We already know that the people who work directly with children and their families, armed with the right skills and knowledge, can drive up the quality of services and transform the quality of a child's life and experience. We wanted to know how we could help you to improve health outcomes for children, which is why we spoke to many professionals from across the sector when developing the strategy. You told us that you want help to overcome any barriers to providing excellent, integrated health services for children and families, and our strategy aims to address this.

Ensuring a child's health and well-being involves a wide range of staff in different services, with different professional backgrounds.

It is already the case that the general health service workforce, such as GPs and staff in emergency departments or NHS walk-in centres, work very closely with the dedicated children's health workforce, including paediatricians, midwives, health visitors, children's community nurses and CAMHS professionals.

However, this new strategy expands that and defines how the wider children's and young people's workforce plays a vital role in supporting a healthy generation.

I know that you all already play a huge role in the nurturing, caring, safeguarding and health development of children in this country, and therefore you are ideally placed to continue driving forward our joint ambition for happy, safe and healthy children.

By working together, we can achieve world-class health outcomes and minimise health inequalities for all children.

We want every Sure Start children's centre to have access to a named health visitor, ensuring regular access to a familiar face for families and children in their area. But we need to do more to ensure that every parent knows the full package of what local centres can offer.

Our research tells us that while parents and carers are overwhelmingly satisfied with the wide range of invaluable services on offer at their local children's centre, a minority do not realise that Sure Start children's centres offer any health services. You are all carrying out great work that can transform the lives of the children in your care; therefore it is vital that you make the parents in your area aware of the services and support available to them from your provision.

Joined-up working is already firmly embedded in children's services. This strategy builds on that and sets out our commitment to extending this partnership working to our health colleagues.

Together, we can ensure that no child is left alone; that early signs of sickness, illness, abuse or neglect are spotted and acted upon at the earliest possible stage; that every parent knows and understands the level of service they should expect from their health provision, childcare setting and early years provider; and that every child has the opportunity to be happy and healthy and to achieve their goals.

Beverley Hughes is the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families. Further information is available from the Department for Children, Schools and Families at www.dcsf.gov.uk