Introduction
Latest PublicationsPublished: 24 March 2020
Childhood Immunisation Statistics Scotland
Published: 11 February 2020
Child Health PreSchool Review Coverage
Published: 10 December 2019
Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) Statistics Scotland
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Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have an explicit right to achieve their developmental potential and to sustain the highest possible standard of health. They also have a right to appropriate health services to facilitate attainment of these goals.
Protecting and promoting the health of children is an important goal in itself. As children's early experiences are central to shaping their long term health and well-being, it is also critical to improving the health of the whole population and reducing inequalities in health over the longer term.
The health service obviously plays an important part in promoting the health and well-being of children. NHS Scotland provides a universal health promotion programme to all children and their families known as the child health programme. This programme includes various elements such as formal screening for specific medical problems, routine childhood immunisations, and a structured programme of needs assessment, health promotion, and parenting support provided through regular scheduled contacts with health visitors, school nurses and other health professionals. ISD publishes a range of information derived from provision of the child health programme, including information on immunisation, infant feeding, child development and children's weight and growth.
The health service also provides additional ad hoc and ongoing care to children with minor illnesses or more serious long term medical problems. ISD publishes a range of relevant other information on child health care such as information on children's admissions to hospital. Specific information is also available on the use of the Support Needs System (SNS) which is an information system used to facilitate the care of children with disabilities and associated support and care coordination needs.
The importance of children's health and health care is recognised in a number of current Scottish Government publications in particular in the Early Years Framework; the national health inequalities strategy Equally Well; the overarching policy on the NHS in Scotland Better Health, Better Care; the Getting It Right For Every Child programme; the overarching policy on child health services Delivering a Healthy Future; and specific policy on the child health programme laid out in Health for all children 4: guidance on implementation in Scotland and A New Look at Hall 4 - the early years: good health for every child.
You can also use the links in the left hand margin to move to different sub-topics within Child Health.