Telford & Wrekin Council to contact families offering 'healthy weight' support
Over 200 families in Telford and Wrekin will be contacted by a council and offered support with ‘healthy weight and lifestyles’.
Telford & Wrekin Council's health and wellbeing strategy aims to ‘tackle inequalities and close the gaps in health and wellbeing experiences’ in the borough.
A delivery progress report will be discussed by the council’s health and wellbeing board (HWB) at their meeting later this week.
A ‘key progress’ in the report highlights closer working between the council’s healthy families team and NHS 0-19 school nursing team.
The report states that children identified as “very overweight” from the national child measurement programme will be offered 12 weeks of support from the council’s healthy families’ team.
Planned for the ‘next quarter’ is that the council’s families’ team aim to contact 230 children and families to offer support with ‘healthy weight and healthy lifestyles’.
The council report says that it has also expanded its school health and wellbeing programme and 10 schools will now be included for the 2023/24 school year.
The programme also aims to deliver training for family hubs ‘to raise the issue of weight with families’.
During the next quarter ‘Eatwell’ sessions are aimed to be delivered in the community through family hubs.
“Our HWB strategy highlights that tackling inequalities and closing the gap requires comprehensive action across our priority programmes, through a strong targeted, intelligence-led approach,” says the health and wellbeing strategy delivery progress report.
“The gaps in health and wellbeing experience are most repeatedly seen in our most deprived communities, compared to the most affluent communities – the 20% most deprived communities –‘the core 20’.
“Particular and specific inequalities are also faced by different groups of people, often referred to as inclusion groups and these are closely related to characteristics which are protected in the Equalities Act.”
The report says that Wrockwardine Wood Junior School has participated in the Health & Wellbeing Programme and achieved a ‘gold’ healthy schools rating.
“Active learning has been implemented in the school with positive physical and mental wellbeing benefits recognised by pupils,” the report adds.
“Improvements seen in attendance, pupils confidence and enjoyment of physical activity.”
The report added that 9,864 children have receive free school meals with extra supermarket vouchers to provide food during school holidays. It says that supermarket vouches during school holidays will continue until at least March 2024.
