Skip to content

Early years resources for professionals

Here are some links and advice on health conditions, clinical guidelines and training for early years professionals.

Health conditions

  • ERIC is the national charity dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health. ERIC’s Children’s Continence Pathway aims to inform parents and professionals about the assessment and intervention a child or teenager with bowel or bladder problem needs.
  • Children’s Liver Disease Foundation is a comprehensive information hub on childhood liver disease for healthcare professionals and for families.
  • Harry Hats is a charity that provides support to families with children with hydrocephalus including symptoms, causes, and treatments. They provide a help line and online chat to support parents.
  • The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families.
  • The Sepsis Trust has information to help spot signs of sepsis and serious illness in children
  • The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust has information on signs and symptoms of cancer and support for families with children living with cancer.
  • ICON is here to help prevent abusive head trauma by helping parents cope with crying.

Clinical guidelines for practise

  • NICE - Evidence-based recommendations for the health and social care sector, developed by independent committees, including professionals and lay members, and consulted on by stakeholders.
  • NHS.uk gives healthy living advice, tips and tools to help families make the best choices about their health and wellbeing including immunisation schedules.
  • The World Health Organisation is dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science so everyone has an equal chance to live a healthy life.
  • The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is the membership body for paediatricians in the UK and around the world. Useful clinical guidelines for Paediatricians and colleagues for clinical guidelines to manage the treatment of children's medical conditions and are developed in line with NICE accreditation.

Training

Support for Kent families

  • Kent Baby – has a range of information and support for parents and carers of under-fives.
  • Child health clinics - advice, information and support for parents and their child's health and development.
  • Beside You – help and support with breastfeeding including details of local breastfeeding drop-in sessions.
  • Born to move app – encouraging play and interaction to help the learning and development of your baby’s brain at this early stage, building the foundations for a healthy, confident child.
  • Parenting courses on a variety of topics including starting solids and toilet training.
  • One You Kent offers support to families to go smokefree, lose weight, get active or just feel better about life. One You has a special team dedicated to supporting expectant families or with a baby up to 12 weeks of age, offer weekly support at a time convenient to you to offer non-judgement support and advice.
  • Family Partnership Programme – available to families living in Kent who have experienced difficulties such as poverty, mental health issues, family problems or domestic abuse.
  • Specialist Infant Feeding Service - works with families whose babies are experiencing feeding problems requiring more intensive or specialist support.
  • Kent Dads Project is a one-minute interaction designed to improve their experiences when expecting a baby or within the first year of life. Copies of the accompanying pocket z-cards can be ordered online.