What you will get from this report

• Analysis of the effects of poverty and social inequalities on child health and wellbeing in the UK.
• An examination of spending cuts on health intervention projects.
• Recommendations on what is needed to move towards an equitable society, where all children are given the best start in life by adopting a life-course approach to child health.

Key findings

• There should be an annual report on the health of the nation's children to review trends and assess what work best to improve child well-being.
• There should be accountability at ministerial level for children's health and well-being and responsibility for implementing a framework of monitoring, reviewing and remedying processes.
• Children's services should be family-centred and focused on the importance of parenting, where the child and family are treated as a unit.
• Identify families where lifestyle could affect the health of the unborn child - for example a household where parents smoke, take drugs, misuse alcohol - and invest in community and family support schemes to tackle these issues.
• Multi-disciplinary working between social services, education authorities, healthcare teams, police services and others should be made easier.