Healthy Child Programme - elearning for healthcare
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This programme is in partnership with...
  • Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
  • BDA
  • RCSLT Home
  • The Royal College of Midwives
  • CPHVA
  • Royal College of General Pracitioners
  • Royal College of Nursing
  • Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecoloists
  • Department for Education
  • BACCH

About the Healthy Child Programme

Overview

The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) is an elearning programme for all healthcare professionals working with pregnant mothers and children aged 0-5 years.

It is the first programme in the Healthy Child Programme 0-18 series of elearning resources, which includes the Healthy School Child Programme (5-12 years) and Adolescent Health Programme (12-18 years) and supports the implementation of the Healthy Child Programme – Pregnancy and the first five years of life framework and covers a range of topics related to child health and health promotion.

This resource is suitable for nurses, midwives, GPs, paediatricians and obstetricians and the child health team as part of blended learning for those in training or wishing to update their knowledge and skills.

The programme is not intended to replace core learning or textbooks on these subjects, but rather to focus on their impact on the health and wellbeing of toddlers and young children. The programme equally is not designed to address in any detail the specialist needs of children with very complex problems.

What it covers?

The Healthy Child Programme covers a range of topics related to child health and health promotion. Combining expertise from a range of professions, the programme aims to provide preventative services tailored to the individual needs of children and families and acts as a best practice guide for children’s services. Based on a model of progressive universalism, the HCP seeks to provide for all children, with additional services for children and families with particular needs and risks. The programme focuses on public health priorities such as obesity, breast feeding and social and emotional development.

This work was commissioned by the Department of Health and delivered by Health Education England (HEE)/elearning for healthcare (e-lfh) in collaboration with a consortium of professional bodies. The materials have been written by subject specialists and experts in their particular field and have been subjected to extensive and ongoing peer review.  The sessions have undergone a review within the last 3 years and as a result have an improved design as well as having been updated in line with current guidance and references.

Healthy Child Programme

More information

The Healthy Child Programme comprises 75 elearning sessions, grouped together by topic into 13 learning modules. Sessions will signpost the learner to other learning where appropriate. The modules comprise of individual e-learning sessions, which take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The sessions include interactive elements, case studies and self-assessments to reinforce learning and there are a range of resources signposted at the end of each session.

Healthy Child Programme and other resources

The Healthy Child programme can also be used as a browsable resource in conjunction with a number of other elearning programmes including MindEd. Select here to find out more.

HCP curriculum

The HCP curriculum is based on the RCPCH’s Paediatric curriculum. Find out more about the HCP curriculum by selecting the modules below.

  • Module 1

    Healthy Child Programme Basics
  • Module 2

    Communication, Record Keeping and Inter-professional Working
  • Module 3

    Family Health
  • Module 4

    Safeguarding
  • Module 5

    Positive Parenting and Parenting Issues
  • Module 6

    Development and Behaviour
  • Module 7

    Speech Language and Communication Needs
  • Module 8

    Growth and Nutrition
  • Module 9

    Immunisation
  • Module 10

    Health Promotion
  • Module 11

    Screening
  • Module 12

    Health Visiting Model of Practice
  • Module 13

    Early Developmental Support

Sample sessions

  • Dental Health Promotion

    This session aims to enhance your knowledge and skills regarding oral health and factors that predispose to poor oral health. Promoting oral health in the infant and young child forms an integral part of this session. This session was updated in 2016 with the help of the Delivering Better Oral Health Working Group.

  • Growth Charts and their Interpretation

    This session is an introduction to growth charts, and includes information on how to plot measurements and when to become concerned about a child’s growth.

  • Promoting Attachment and Wellbeing Part 1: Concepts

    This session is the first of two in this series focusing on attachment and wellbeing. This first session will provide an overview of attachment whilst the second (Positive Parenting and Parenting Issues/Promoting Attachment and Wellbeing Part 2: Practice) will explore the range of attachment-based interventions that help to foster secure attachment.

Project team

  • Daniel Waeland, Executive Director of Education and Training, RCPCH
  • Dr Anu Raykundalia, Project Clinical Lead
  • Dr Elaine Lewis, Project Clinical Lead
  • Ian O’Donoghue, Education and Professional Development Lead, RCPCH
  • Karole Smith, Programme Manager, Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
  • Jen Van Iwaarden, Senior Project Manager, Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
  • Jasmine Deol, Lead Learning Designer, Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England

How to access

In order to access the Healthy Child Programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.

Register >

To view the Healthy Child Programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.

View >

NHS healthcare staff in England

The Healthy Child Programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this elearning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.

Further details are available here.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access elfh Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.

To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Healthy Child Programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

How to license

In the event that you do not qualify for free access to the Healthy Child Programme, you are able to license access through eIntegrity, a community-interest company established for this purpose.
You can check whether or not you qualify for free access by clicking on the ‘Register’ button above.

For more information on the licensing options available for the Healthy Child Programme, please visit the eIntegrity website.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.

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