Improving children’s health has been a priority for decades. Yet, despite billions of pounds of investment and countless initiatives, outcomes are stagnating or getting worse.
This government has pledged to create the “healthiest generation of children ever” and signalled a renewed focus on prevention and community health through the NHS 10 Year Plan. However, rhetoric risks running ahead of reality, with few new policies that add up to the scale of change required.
This report argues that we need a decisive break with the status quo. We found that parents felt they were the most responsible and influential actors in their children’s health, but also that they were at the mercy of wider forces. This report argues that families are the hidden frontline in the mission to improve children’s health, and that a progressive alternative must see parents and families as trusted and capable partners.
