An e-Learning Resource for Practitioners who work with Children

Healthy Child Programme is ideally aimed at health visitors, nurses, midwives, general practitioners, paediatricians, obstetricians, dieticians and speech/language therapists.

Course Content

The Healthy Child Programme includes 12 modules, divided up into 76 interactive e-learning sessions.  

Module 1 – Healthy Child Programme Basics

This module introduces you to the Healthy Child Programme and the background and philosophies behind it. This includes an overview of the preventive child health programme adopted in England, incorporating screening and developmental surveillance, immunisation, health promotion and parental support. Further sessions cover leadership, monitoring and quality within the programme.  

Module 2 – Communication, Record Keeping and Inter-professional Working

These sessions provide guidance on keeping good records in practice to promote effective communication and inter-professional working. There is also useful information on the Personal Child Health Record.  

Module 3 – Family Health

Addressing a wide range of topics, this module provides resources on the health of the family. Topics include the role of the father, the socio-emotional environment, hard-to-reach families and child resilience.  

Module 4 – Safeguarding

This module builds upon existing safeguarding materials, providing additional learning sessions on vulnerable children (including looked-after children) to provide support in this challenging area of practice.  

Module 5 – Positive Parenting and Parenting Issues

Addressing a range of topics around parenting, this module looks at how factors such as attachment and well-being, parenting support and parental relationships affect the health of the child.  

Module 6 – Development and Behaviour

Child development in the first five years of life is a critical time for any family. These sessions review early child development and include guidance on dealing with challenges around feeding, sleeping and toileting, as well as common emotional and behavioural problems.  

Module 7 – Speech Language and Communication Needs

The development of a child’s communication skills is the focus of this module. Typical and atypical development is considered, along with bilingualism and social aspects of communication.  

Module 8 – Growth and Nutrition

From pre-pregnancy through to adulthood, nutrition plays a vital role in healthy development. Focusing on the first five years of life, this module offers guidance on nutrition, feeding, weaning, growth and growth charts, the social context of food and obesity in the early years.  

Module 9 – Immunisation

These sessions deliver guidance for healthcare professionals who work with families, providing advice and addressing concerns around immunisation.  

Module 10 – Health Promotion

This module outlines vital areas of interest in promoting health from the start in pregnancy through to the first five years of life. With a focus on smoking, obesity, mental health and substance misuse, this module also includes topics such as dental health and injury prevention.  

Module 11 – Screening

Screening forms a key part of the Healthy Child Programme. This module outlines the importance of screening and describes the timeline for screening in the first five years of life.  

Module 12 – Health Visiting Model of Practice

This session forms the first stage of developing a model of practice that health professionals and families can use to guide work on the Healthy Child Programme.   For institutional purchase or bulk licences of our online medical courses, please contact us