Rotherham's Children's Public Health Nursing Service (0-19)

Breastfeeding gives your child the best possible start in life.

Your milk is unique and changes during each feed, with the time of day, your diet and the baby’s needs. Your breast milk is naturally full of nutrients, enzymes and antibodies. These antibodies reduce the risk of your baby suffering from many illnesses including ear, chest, gut and urine infections, as well as from diabetes, eczema, and asthma, which is why breast milk alone is enough to feed your child for the first six months of their life.

We will give you all the support you need from getting started with breastfeeding to weaning. This includes:

• during pregnancy - we’ll talk about feeding and bonding with your baby
• holding and feeding your baby when they are born
• learning how to respond to your baby’s needs
• recognising feeding cues and knowing when your baby is getting enough milk
• learning how to breastfeed and express milk
• bottle feeding, making formula feeds and sterilising
• weaning your baby on to solid foods

Information about feeding is also available in your Red Book.

We are also working with children’s centres in Rotherham to develop a team of peer supporters who can help you get to grips with breastfeeding, especially if it doesn’t seem to be as straightforward as you had hoped. Peer supporters are other Mums who have breastfed themselves so they know what it is like – but they have had training from our team and can offer lots of good advice and support.

Being a parent can be the best job in the world - but it can also bring challenges. There may be times when parents need some help over and above the five contracts offered in the Healthy Child Programme. This may include: 

• weaning
• postnatal depression
• sleepless children
• managing challenging behaviour
• relationship problems that affect the children
• children who have a long-term health condition
• children who don't seem to be making as much progress as expected

We can provide additional support such as extra visits so that you have more time to talk through your concerns and find the right way for you and your family to get on top of the issue.

We have a good knowledge of all the other services available in the community and can also refer you to other teams who may be able to help.

If there are a number of different services involved with your family, we will work in partnership with them to help achieve the best possible outcome for your child and the rest of the family.

We can provide advice on all of the following: 

• stopping smoking and issues related to alcohol and drugs
• healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and exercise
• relationships
• sexual health and contraception
• bullying, abuse and exploitation
• worries about mental health

If you are a young person, or someone who is concerned about a young person, you can call our helpline number to speak to someone who can give you advice. If appropriate, we can arrange to see the young person – or put them in contact with a more specialist service that can address their needs.

We also hold drop-in sessions where young people can call in to ask for information or discuss any issue which is affecting their mental or physical health. For dates and times of these sessions, please ring the helpline number – or lookout for posters in schools and community venues.
 

The Healthy Child Programme is a national initiative which aims to ensure that children get off to a good start in life and stay healthy. We offer everyone five visits between the ages of 0-5 years to check on development and give parents the information and support they need as their child grows.

The five visits are as follows:

• An antenatal contact (before your baby is born) - we talk about the weeks ahead and answer any of your questions
• New birth visit (before your baby is fourteen days) - we check on how you and your baby are doing and make sure you get any extra support that you need
• Six to eight week visit - we check that your baby is making progress and help with any questions or concerns that you may have
• One year development review (between nine to twelve months) - we check on your baby’s milestones and talk about what to expect in the year ahead
• Two year development review (between two to two and a half years) - this is a chance to see how your child is getting on in all areas of their development

We are able to support parents by providing:

• development checks for their child
• information and advice on physical and emotional development 
• advice on establishing good sleep habits
• information on keeping your child safe, reducing the risk of accident and injury
• breastfeeding advice and support
• healthy eating and weaning advice
• immunisations
• help and advice on minor illnesses

We can signpost you to local services and activities that you and your their child might enjoy or find useful. We are also there to give parents extra support when they need it.

Parenting during your teenage years can bring its own challenges, so we offer a programme of regular visits for young parents. This means young parents get the help they need to do the best for their baby at a time in their lives when they also may need support as young adults.

The programme is delivered by a Young Parents’ Nurse through visits to your home or another suitable place. If you are aged 19 or under and are pregnant with your first baby, your midwife or health visitor will talk with you about whether you would benefit from the programme.

The programme starts in pregnancy and may last until your child is 2 years old, depending on your individual circumstances. There is flexibility to cover the areas most important to you, which may include parenting, health, child development, relationships, families, your environment and planning your own future. You will have the opportunity to get to know your Young Parents’ Nurse which means you will feel more able to ask questions and get the help you need.

Our team visits schools in Rotherham to provide:

• Health screening and assessment service for children starting primary school – to see if there are any health issues which could affect their learning and wellbeing.
• Height and weight checks in Reception and Year 6. Where there are concerns about a child’s growth or weight, we will offer support.
• Opportunities for children to learn about how to look after their own health and get into good habits for life – for example, taking part in teeth brushing clubs.
• Vaccinations and booster injections to protect children from common diseases. These are offered in Year 8 (vaccination against cervical cancer for girls) and Year 9 (teenage booster for polio, tetanus and diphtheria, and vaccination against meningitis).

The NHS website offers lots of information about the national vaccination programme for babies, children and young people. 

The Weight, Health and Attitude Management (WHAM) service support children and young people together with their families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

WHAM offers a friendly, safe and non-judgmental environment. It is provided by experienced health professionals, who offer a tailored approach to weight management. This includes:

• healthy growth checks
• one to one support
• healthy lifestyle group programmes in collaboration with the Rotherham United Community Sports Trust 

WHAM is embedded into the community with healthcare at the heart of what they do. We have strong links with other professionals such as GPs, paediatricians, dietitians, orthotics, CAMHS, school nurses, and health visitors.

For more information about the service or the programmes that WHAM offer, please email us on: rgh-tr.whamrotherham@nhs.net or call us on: 01709 423214.

You can also find us on Facebook where we provide service updates and other useful information.