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?
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.
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.
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.