Health Promotion

Balsall Heath Children’s Centre works in partnership with the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust (BCHC) to provide a variety of services and programmes in different settings. Staff regularly attend services offered by the Children’s Centre to run sessions on Oral Heath and Hidden Sugars.

Pre-birth
BCHC staff attend Midwife Clinics, to give advice on family planning and contraception, healthy eating advice, smoking cessation, breastfeeding advice, and providing free vitamins to mothers and children under 2 years.

Midwife clinics are drop-in sessions which take place at Edward Road Health Centre on Mondays 1.30pm – 3.30pm and Tuesdays 9.30am – 12.30pm

Babies (0 – 1 year olds)
This is a 5-week programme with sessions aimed at raising awareness of the relationship between child development and your child’s behaviour. It addresses common issues such as weaning, sleeping, behaviour and child development. Baby massage sessions may also be included. This takes place at the Balsall Heath Church Centre on Mary Street.

1-5 year olds
Sessions are delivered on Oral Health, Healthy Eating, Salt, fat and sugar content of food and Healthy Lunch boxes. Staff also deliver the HENRY programme, a 9-week course with a solution-focussed approach to Health, Exercise, Nutrition for the Really Young. It covers family time and play with children, healthy eating patterns, physical activity, emotional well-being and parenting and relationship skills. Crèche is also available for this course. This takes place at the Balsall Heath Children’s Centre.

The Induction day for the HENRY programme is Thursday 5th May

Healthy Start – Free Vitamins
All pregnant women, new mothers and children under four-years-old are being offered free vitamin D supplements as part of a new campaign that aims to reduce the number of cases of rickets in Birmingham.

Vitamin D is needed to develop strong bones, and without it, children are prone to develop rickets – a rare disease characterised by bowed legs and delays in walking in young children.

The vitamins are provided by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust (BCHC) and are free for all pregnant women, new mothers with a child under-one-year old and children under four-years-old providing they are registered with a GP in Birmingham.

Vitamins can be collected from Reception in the Children’s Centre.

For more information about these services and courses, please contact Farida on 0121 464 6349.