Healthy 0 to 19 year olds

There are several things you can do to give your baby a healthier start in life, starting from pregnancy onwards.

The services and resources below are available to support you during these early years. There is no cost to use these services and they are available to everyone who lives in Redbridge.

Trying for a baby or pregnant?

Your Journey to Birth is a service guide providing advice and information for parents and caregivers during the early stages of planning a pregnancy to the after birth of a child. These are available to everyone who lives in the London Borough of Redbridge.

The NHS provide information and useful tips to help you on your journey to parenthood. More information on trying for a baby or pregnancy.

When you are pregnant you should see a GP or midwife as soon as possible to receive pregnancy (antenatal) care to have a healthy pregnancy.

Health Visiting and school nursing service

The Health Visiting team is an NHS service to support all families with children 0 to five years and provides a range of free services.  They help families in their homes, clinics, and children’s centres. 

The school nursing team support children five to 19 in the school setting and provide screening such as height, weight, vision and hearing and health assessments. 

Screening takes place at your child's school and a letter is sent to you beforehand to ensure you consent and after to let you know about the outcome of the assessment.

If you have any questions for the Health Visiting and School nursing team, please call the Duty Desk on 0300 300 1579 (choose option 1). If the line goes to voicemail please leave your name, telephone number and why you are calling, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Children centres

Children centres support all families with children aged 0 to four years (up to eight years for babies and children with SEND). They provide free information, advice and support to access local services and learning and development activities for children and parents. 

Oral health

Keeping your child’s mouth healthy from an early age is important, as it allows your child to keep their teeth and have nice-smelling breath.

Tooth decay can be very painful for children, so it is important that you regularly clean your child’s teeth, limit snacks and sugary drinks and see a dentist regularly. 

For more in-depth information and resources visit our Redbridge Oral Health Page.

The oral health service provides families and communities with information about how to improve their oral health and wellbeing. Useful information on oral health.

Healthy start scheme 

If you are 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old or not a British citizen, you may be eligible for the Healthy start scheme. If you are eligible for Healthy Start, you can get £4.25 per week to help you and your family.

If you qualify for the scheme, you can also get free multi-vitamins for your child. To get your multi-vitamins, visit one of the health visiting centres reception and ask for healthy start vitamins. You will need to show your healthy start card to the receptionist.

You can collect your vitamins from any of the hubs listed or check via the Redbridge Healthy Start Map.

Health venues:

1. Hainault Health Centre
   Manford Way, IG7 4DF
   0300 300 1902
2. Loxford Polyclinic (Health Visiting Team)
   417 Ilford Lane, IG1 2PF
   0300 300 1869
3. Seven Kings Health Centre (CLO office)
   1 Salisbury Road, IG3 8BG
   0300 300 1663
4. South Woodford Health Centre (CLO office)
   114 High Road, E18 2QS
   0300 300 1655
5. Wanstead Place Clinic (CLO office)
   35 Wanstead Place, E11 25W
   020 8926 1450
6. Redbridge Child Development Centre
   Grovelands, Grove Road, RM6 4XH
   0300 300 1618

Children's Centres:

1. Alberts Road Children’s Centre
   53 Albert Road, IG1 1HL
   020 8708 2622
2. Aldersbrook Children’s Centre
   Ingatestone Road, E12 5HE
   020 8496 0100
3. Newbury Hall Children’s Centre
   Perrymans Farm Road, IG2 7LD
   020 8708 9423
4. Hainault Children’s Centre
   14 Huntsman Road, IG6 3SY
   020 8708 9423
5. Loxford Children's Centre
   136 Ilford Lane, IG1 2LG
   020 8708 2060
6. Orchand Children's Centre
   Liston Way, IG8 7BL
   020 8708 8344
7. Thackeray Drive Children's Centre
   Thackeray Drive, RM6 4R3
   020 8708 5800

For more information and support, please contact 0300 330 7070 or visit the Healthy Start website.

Online parenting courses

Staff and parents can now access a free innovative online course about children, completely free of charge.

Understanding Your Child is put together by the Solihull Approach, an accredited, evidence-based approach established 20 years ago by psychologists, health visitors and other health professionals.

Using the access code BRIDGE at Our Place website you can register for your own account and revisit the course indefinitely for free. 

Redbridge Health Visiting and School nursing service 

The health visiting team support all families with children 0 to five years and provides a range of free services. The teams work with local communities, the whole family, and individual children in different settings e.g. Hubs, children centres, schools, homes, and GP surgeries.

The health visiting team will contact you at different stages as your child grows and develops. You will be contacted via letter, text message and a phone call for:

• 28 weeks to 32 weeks of pregnancy appointment to make sure you have all the information you need about our service before baby arrives
• New birth visit at 10 to 14 days after you have had a baby to make sure we provide you with all the information you need and answer any questions you have about you and baby and offer support where required
• 6 to 8 weeks visit, which is a general wellbeing check to ensure you are doing well and have all the support you need
• One year and two and a half, health appointment to ensure baby is growing and developing well and identify if there are areas where there is need for improvement

The school nursing team support children 5 to19 years. 

For more information visit the NELFT website about 0 to 19 universal children's services

Tooth decay in young children increases the risk of lifelong damage and repeat infections.

It is important to look after your child and baby's teeth. Our Redbridge oral health page provides a range of resources and advice on maintaining good oral health.

Healthy teeth tips for your child

• Brush your child’s teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
• The best times to brush teeth are last thing at night and in the morning
• Spit out after brushing – do not rinse with water
• Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks. Plain milk and water are the best drinks for teeth
• Limit the number of sugary foods offered to your child. Choose healthier snacks such as fresh fruit and limit the number of times in a day that they eat sugary foods
• Visit a dentist for a dental check by age one or when your child has their first tooth
• Choose sugar free medicines where possible.

Videos on how to brush your child’s teeth correctly

Tips for you and your family to have healthy teeth

• Clean your teeth well will reduce the chances of tooth decay, cavities, and other mouth issues
• Regular visits to your dentist are important
• To prevent tooth decay in children 0 to six years, breastfeed babies for as long as possible and wean them on sugar free food
• Parents should help with tooth brushing as soon as teeth start growing, use only a smear of toothpaste (pea-sized) amount
• Children should eat a well-balanced diet with a controlled amount of sugar

Local services in Redbridge

• Free brush for life packs given out by the health improvement team
• Fluoride vanishing programmes in schools
• Oral health champions training for parents and staff

Staff and parents can now access a free, innovative, online course about children, completely free of charge. Understanding Your Child is put together by the Solihull Approach, an accredited, evidence-based approach established 20 years ago by psychologists, health visitors and other health professionals.

Using the access code BRIDGE at www.inourplace.co.uk you can register for your own account and revisit the course indefinitely for free. 

There are nine to 11 modules each taking around 20 minutes (the main screens have optional audio voiceovers and different languages) as well as interactive activities, quizzes, video clips and practical hand-outs.  

You do not need to complete all nine modules, just complete the modules you feel will be useful to you.

 FIND website has more information on the programme