| *** Please note that the next update will be on 21 December *** Annual breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: 2016 to 2017 Annual breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth statistics for 2016/17 were published on 29 November 2017. They are available on .GOV.UK Annual health visitor service delivery metrics: 2016 to 2017 Annual health visitor service delivery metrics were published on 29 November 2017 for 2016/17. The metrics currently cover the antenatal check, new birth visit, the 6 to 8 week review, the 12 month assessment and the 2- 2½ year assessment (including coverage of ASQ-3). Information is presented at a local authority, PHE and England level. They are available on .GOV.UK Mental health in pregnancy, the postnatal period and babies and toddlers needs assessment reports now integrated with Fingertips The reports for each local authority and clinical commissioning group bring together information on risk factors and estimates of prevalence for mental health conditions for women during pregnancy and the postnatal period as well as for babies and toddlers. They are designed to inform the development of local planning and needs assessment reports. The reports, which were originally developed in 2015, have now been integrated with PHE's Fingertips tool. This eBulletin includes links to content from a range of different organisations. We do not accept responsibility for the availability, reliability or content of the items included in this eBulletin and do not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them.
Safer maternity care: the national maternity safety strategy - progress and next steps This document from the Department of Health reports on progress and next steps with implementation of the safer maternity care action plan, and sets out additional measures for further and quicker improvement, including: - improving rigour and quality of investigations into term stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths, and serious brain injuries, and learning from the investigations
- more support for maternity and neonatal training
- looking into giving coroners powers to conduct investigations into stillbirths
- aiming to reduce the national rate of pre-term births from 8% to 6%
- bringing forward from 2030 to 2025 the ambition to halve rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths, and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth.
A model of engagement with children, young people and planners in the development of children's services plans The Scottish Government has published a report describing the process for developing a model for enabling children to take part in and influence how adults plan and run services for them in their area. The model was developed by Edinburgh Children's Partnership as part of a pilot initiative to devise a methodology for engagement that is jointly owned by children, young people and professionals which could then be shared as good practice with other community planning partnership areas. Newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) operational guidance This guidance from Public Health England supports healthcare professionals and stakeholders delivering and managing newborn hearing screening programmes in England. The information puts into context the day to day working of the local screening programme. Measles outbreak - resources Posters and leaflets from Public Health England for use by health professionals and community engagement groups to raise awareness of measles. Unicef UK Guide to the Baby Friendly Initiative standards The Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative standards provide a roadmap for services to improve care. Through the staged accreditation programme, health professionals are enabled to support all mothers with feeding and to help parents to build a close and loving relationship with their baby. Newly redesigned in 2017, this guide now includes new Achieving Sustainability standards, designed to support services to maintain high standards of care for the longer term. The belonging toolkit: migrant children and young people This toolkit was co-produced with Coram Life Education and Coram's Young Citizens and gives invaluable insight into the issues facing migrant children and young people. It includes lesson plans, teachers' guidance, films and activities for KS2 and KS3 (aged 7-14 years old). A rapid resolution and redress scheme for severe avoidable birth injury: Government summary consultation response This report from the Department of Health provides the responses to the consultation on the proposed investigations into severe avoidable birth injury and the support and compensation scheme. MBRRACE-UK perinatal confidential enquiry report: term, singleton, intrapartum stillbirth and intrapartum related neonatal death This report from MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK) looks at the quality of care received by babies who were either still born or who died shortly after birth. It provides a picture of current challenges faced by maternity and neonatal units and an opportunity to improve services for women and families and prevent similar deaths in the future. This type of death occurred in 225 pregnancies in 2015 in the UK. Findings from the report include: - The rate of term, singleton, intrapartum stillbirth and intrapartum-related neonatal death has more than halved since 1993 representing a reduction of around 220 intrapartum deaths per year.
- Capacity issues were identified as a problem in over a quarter of the cases undergoing panel review. The majority of staffing and capacity problems were related to delivery suite.
- The panel consensus was that in nearly 80% of deaths improvements in care were identified which may have made a difference to the outcome for the baby
- There is an increasing proportion of births to mothers who have risk factors associated with an increased risk of perinatal death.
As well as the full report, you can read a lay summary and executive summary and infographic. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have responded to the report. A joint response from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists/Royal College of Midwives is also available. State of the nation 2017: social mobility in Great Britain This report from the Social Mobility Commission assesses the progress that Great Britain has made towards improving social mobility. It puts the social mobility index at the heart of the report and ranks all English local authorities into hotspots and coldspots, using a range of 16 indicators for every life stage from the early years through to working lives. It finds that there is a stark social mobility geographical divide within our nation. Social mobility index: 2017 data ranks local authorities on the prospects of disadvantaged young people growing up in their areas. A press release outlines the key findings of the report. Influencing healthy eating habits through early years settings This blog post from Public Health England outlines the ongoing work and guidance to support early years settings to influence healthy eating habits in young children. Reducing childhood obesity is a key PHE priority. Attitudes to education and children's services: the British Social Attitudes survey 2016. Research brief This report from the Department for Education contains answers to questions seeking to measure public attitudes to: the role of schools; post-16 education; pre-school care and education; special educational needs and disability; and child abuse and child protection. Taking action against health inequalities in London This blog post from Public Health England (PHE) outlines the draft health inequalities strategy for London as well as opportunities to feed into its ongoing development. Road safety teaching resources for 3-6 year olds New road safety resources have been released by the Department for Transport to help teachers and schools highlight the dangers of the road. The resources form part of a new THINK! road safety campaign and include easy to follow lesson plans, 2 new films co-created with school children and a song in a bid to make teaching road safety lessons easier and more accessible. Twin pregnancy and neonatal care in England - a Tamba report This report from Tamba (Twins and Multiple Births Association) with a foreword from BLISS and SANDS is an analysis of data on twin pregnancy and neonatal care in England. The report gathered information from neonatal networks across the country to look at stillbirth rates, neonatal death rates, NICE compliance and neonatal admissions. Some of the main objectives of the report were to explore: the number of baby lives that would be saved if networks had the lowest neonatal and stillbirth rates; the number of reduced admissions to neonatal care if networks had the lowest admission rate; the influence of the number of multiple pregnancies within a neonatal network on perinatal mortality rates; and the time trend in rates of stillbirth and neonatal deaths in multiple pregnancies compared to singleton pregnancies within a ten-year period. A press release from Tamba is available. A review of evidence on equitable delivery, access and utilization of immunization services for migrants and refugees in the WHO European Region (2017) Refugees and migrants should be vaccinated without unnecessary delay according to the immunization schedules of their host countries. This is the guidance provided by a joint recommendation of WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. However, a new report from WHO shows that fewer than one third of the countries in the WHO European Region have any specific directives within their national immunization policies focused on the immunization of refugees and migrants, including children and pregnant women. Children represent approximately 25% of the total migrant population in the Region, and are considered to be at greatest risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases. Over 1 in 10 women have depression during pregnancy or postnatally This Mental Elf blog post is about a recent systematic review and meta-regression of the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression. The blogger concludes that the systematic review estimated that the prevalence of perinatal depression is approximately 12%. Estimates of prevalence are important for increasing awareness of depression during pregnancy and the postnatal period, and informing the allocation of health resources. In particular, this study highlights that depression is equally prevalent during pregnancy as in the postnatal period, and that there is a higher prevalence of perinatal depression in low and middle income countries than in high income countries. Supporting children whose parents have drug or alcohol problems. Family Environment: Drug Using Parents (FEDUP): final evaluation The NSPCC has published an evaluation of the Family Environment: Drug Using Parents (FEDUP) service which supported children whose parents have a drug or alcohol problem. Findings from the evaluation of the experiences of 59 parents and 253 children who took part in the programme between 2011 and 2015 include: a small but statistically significant improvement in children's emotional and behavioural wellbeing, and in their self-esteem and ability to process their thoughts and feelings. Developing a Perinatal Mental Health Indicator in England (PMHI) The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) has updated information about their work on developing a perinatal mental health indicator in England (PMHI). Four indicators have been selected: the Apex indicator; contact with mental health professional during perinatal period; attended contact with Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) during perinatal period; and perinatal IAPT referrals showing reliable improvement/recovery. The Apex indicator will require new data collection and is thus several years away from implementation. The other three indicators could in principle be created now and adoption depends on the wishes and needs of policy makers. The overarching purpose of the indicator set is: to ensure that maternity and postnatal care services are identifying women with perinatal mental health problems, offering appropriate and accessible mental health services and achieving outcomes acceptable to women and clinicians which minimises potential harms to the woman, her family and the development of her child. A body confident future. British Youth Council Youth Select Committee 2017 This report from the British Youth Council's Youth Select Committee looks at body image and the impact it has on the wellbeing of children and young people. The Committee's key recommendations include: government sponsorship of an annual 'National Body Confidence Week' which would be supported by all relevant departments; introduction of minimum standards for social media companies in relation to content moderation, to be enforced in the forthcoming digital charter; measures to improve the diversity of advertising campaigns; adequate funding for schools so that pupils are supported in their wider wellbeing, including on issues related to body dissatisfaction; and greater focus on body image in online resources aimed at young people, teachers and parents. A profile of children referred to Barnardo's fostering services in England This report from Barnardo's reveals the extent of the challenges facing the growing number of children in foster care in England. An analysis of referrals made by English local authorities to Barnardo's fostering services last year illustrates the struggles of children and young people needing foster care, many of whom have suffered neglect and physical or sexual abuse. A Barnardo's press release about the report provides more information. Turning the tide: reversing the move to late intervention spending in children and young people's services Action for Children, The Children's Society and the National Children's Bureau have published a report looking at funding and spend across children and young people's services in England. Keeping us well: how non-health charities address the social determinants of health This report from New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) aims to support non-health charities to better understand and use the evidence about the social factors that impact on people's health and well-being. It includes a forward from the Institute of Health Equity and The Health Foundation. Guides to the evidence are available for:
Family
Friends and communities
Education and skills
Good work
Money and resources
Housing
Our surroundings Children's Social Care Innovation Programme: final evaluation report This report provides an overview of the evaluation of the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme in England 2014 to 2016. The findings will help children's social care practitioners, service managers and providers continue innovating or to revise their approach to improving their social care for the future. The Programme aimed to: increase the quality of services so that children who need help from the social care system have better life chances; help local authorities achieve better value for money across children's social care; and ensure there are stronger incentives and mechanisms for innovation, experimentation and replication of successful new approaches. Adoption UK'S schools and exclusions report November 2017 Adoption UK conducted a UK-wide survey asking adoptive parents about their child(ren)'s experiences in school with a particular focus on exclusions. This report includes analysis of the survey results and policy recommendations based upon their findings. An update on sugar reduction This blog post from Public Health England reflects on some successful work to transform some of the food and drink we buy and consume as the programme gains further momentum. It's obvious that the prevalence of obesity and tooth decay in children needs to be reversed. It is also clear that telling people how to be healthier is not enough on its own, as our environment encourages us to buy more food, more often. That's why the industry's continued engagement in our world-leading sugar reduction programme is integral in turning the tide on our childhood obesity problem. Planning cities to boost physical activity This publication from WHO/Europe offers guiding principles for the WHO European Region to move towards increased physical activity in urban settings by transforming public spaces in ways that promote physically active lifestyles. Regular physical activity, on the other hand, is a safeguard against a range of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers. It is also a key determinant of weight control. The report complements the vision and aims of the physical activity strategy. It discusses options for improving the physical infrastructure and spaces in cities and towns, to transform the quality of public spaces and encourage more physical activity. Further child and maternal health data can be found on Public Health England's Fingertips tool. The child and maternal health section brings together a range of publicly available data, information, tools and resources. Find guidance on using these statistics and other intelligence resources to help you make decisions about the planning and provision of child and maternal health services on.GOV.UK.
Working and workless households in the UK: July to Sept 2017 Information from the Office for National Statistics about households and the adults and children living in them, by their economic activity status. Regional differences across the UK are included. Children in out-of-work benefit households: 31 May 2016 Statistics from the Department of Work and Pensions about the number of children who lived in households where a parent or guardian claimed an out-of-work benefit at 31 May 2016. Guidelines on the use and interpretation of official statistics on children in out-of-work benefit households are also available. Health visitor service delivery metrics 2016 to 2017 Information from Public Health England providing quarterly and annual datasets and commentary for local authority health visits to pregnant women, children and their families during pregnancy and early childhood. The metrics cover health reviews for pregnant women, children and their families at several stages: antenatal contact; new birth visit; 6 to 8 week review; 12 month review; and 2 to 2 and a half year review. Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: annual data Annual experimental statistics from Public Health England on the number and proportion of infants who have been fully, partially or not at all breastfed at 6 to 8 weeks after birth. Information is presented at local authority of residence, PHE Centre and England level. Births by parents' characteristics in England and Wales: 2016 Data from the Office for National Statistics covering birth by parents' age, marital status and socio-economic status. Includes number of children previously born to the mother and birth registration type. Country health profiles The Country health profiles give a snapshot of a population's state of health and key risk factors, along with a brief assessment of each health system's performance in terms of effectiveness, accessibility and resilience. The profiles are prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies in cooperation with the European Commission. International comparisons of road accidents Statistics from the Department of Transport showing international comparisons of road deaths, number and rates for different road users by selected countries including for 2015, children (aged 0-14) deaths per million population. Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: November 2017 These statistics from the Department for Education provide estimates of young people (aged 16 to 24) who are not in education, employment or training, by age and sex. NEET statistics quarterly brief: July to September 2017 Statistics from the Department for Education about young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Births by mothers' usual area of residence in the UK: 2016 This data from the Office of National Statistics covers live births by age of mother and by local health authority. Maternity allowance quarterly statistics: March to May 2017 These quarterly statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions are for Maternity Allowance claims paid from 1 March to 31 May 2017. The full versions of some of these resources may only be available with a paid subscription. Contact your local library service or Athens account administrator to see if you are able to access them through your organisation. Associations between objectively measured physical activity and later mental health outcomes in children: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health) Background: The beneficial effect of physical activity on mental health in adults is well established, but less is known about this relationship in children. The authors examine associations between objectively measured sedentary time, physical activity and mental health in 11-year-olds from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Conclusions: Increased sedentary time is associated with more peer problems in children, and physical activity, generally, is beneficial for peer relations in children aged 11. Development of the MapMe intervention body image scales of known weight status for 4–5 and 10–11 year old children (Journal of Public Health) Background: Parents tend to visually assess children to determine their weight status and typically underestimate child body size. A visual tool may aid parents to more accurately assess child weight status and so support strategies to reduce childhood overweight. Body image scales (BIS) are visual images of people ranging from underweight to overweight but none exist for children based on UK criteria. The authors' aim was to develop sex- and age-specific BIS for children, based on British growth reference (UK90) criteria. Conclusions: This study has created the first sex- and age-specific BIS, based on UK90 criteria. The BIS have potential for use in child overweight prevention and management strategies, and in future research. This study also provides a protocol for the development of further BIS appropriate to other age groups and ethnicities. Understanding motivations for dietary supplementation during pregnancy: a focus group study (Midwifery) Objective: To increase understanding of psychosocial factors (behavioural, normative and control beliefs) motivating vitamin and mineral supplement use during pregnancy. Conclusions: Women believe that supplements are an easier and more reliable source of nutrients than food intake alone, and rely on dietary supplementation as an insurance policy during pregnancy. Further studies are needed in larger and more representative samples to validate these findings and to test the effectiveness of information and intervention strategies targeting appropriate supplement use during pregnancy. Insights Into aspects behind Internet-related disorders in adolescents: the interplay of personality and symptoms of adjustment disorders (Journal of Adolescent Health) Problematic Internet use (PIU) that has recently been referred to as Internet-related disorder is a growing health concern. Yet, it is unclear why some adolescents are developing problematic use, whereas others sustain control. The authors hypothesize that personality traits (low conscientiousness and high neuroticism) act as predispositions for PIU. They further hypothesize that PIU can be understood as a maladaptive reaction toward critical life events and that these maladaptive reactions are exacerbated by dysfunctional personality traits. Implications and contribution: Low conscientiousness and high neuroticism were related to problematic Internet use, but their influence was specified by significant interactions with adjustment disorder symptoms. Adolescents with problematic Internet use and adjustment disorder symptoms may need more specific intervention strategies. Physician intervention to positive depression screens among adolescents in primary care (Journal of Adolescent Health) Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of computer-based screening and physician feedback to guide adolescent depression management within primary care. Conclusions: When a computer-based decision support system algorithm focused on adolescent depression was implemented in two primary care clinics, a majority of physicians utilized screening results to guide clinical care. Breastfeeding initiation: an in-depth qualitative analysis of the perspectives of women and midwives using social cognitive theory (Midwifery) Objective: To explore women's and midwives' expectations, knowledge and experiences of breastfeeding initiation using social cognitive theory. Conclusions: Interviewing both women and midwives specifically about initiation of breastfeeding has allowed for deeper insights into this critical period and enabled a comparison between the data obtained from mothers and midwives. The findings suggest that instinctive attachment is not an expectation of either mothers or midwives and results in a loss of breastfeeding confidence in both. Implications for practice: To facilitate initiation there is a need for more research to develop appropriate maternal and midwifery skills, and make changes to the cultural environment in hospitals. Social Cognitive Theory could be used as a framework in both the antenatal and immediate postnatal period to develop strategies and materials to increase women's and midwives' self-efficacy specifically in initiation. Active parents, active children: the importance of parental organized physical activity in children's extracurricular sport participation (Journal of Child Health Care) This study investigated whether parental participation in organized and unorganized physical activity (PA) was associated with children's participation in extracurricular sport. Findings: Having both parents active was significantly associated with frequent participation in more sports both in girls and boys but a strong relation according to gender was found. Conclusions: Future interventions should be family-based and focus on the promotion of higher levels of parental PA, including organized, in order to improve their children's active behaviors. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and child neurodevelopmental outcomes: a meta-analysis (Obesity Reviews) This review examined evidence of the association between maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity status and child neurodevelopmental outcomes. Findings indicated that compared with children of normal weight mothers, children whose mothers were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy were at increased risk for compromised neurodevelopmental outcomes. Conclusions: Given the current obesity prevalence among young adults and women of childbearing age, this association between maternal obesity during pregnancy and atypical child neurodevelopment represents a potentially high public health burden. Associations between sleep consolidation in infancy and peer relationships in middle childhood (Social Development) Background: Sleep plays an important role in many aspects of children's development. Research on children's sleep and their peer relationships has begun to emerge in the last years. However, these studies are mostly cross-sectional. This study aimed to investigate the associations between infant sleep and peer relationships in middle childhood. Findings: Results revealed negative associations between children's sleep consolidation (i.e., ratio of nighttime sleep) and parent-reported peer problems, and positive associations between sleep consolidation and perceived friendship quality. These findings suggest that well-regulated sleep in infancy may help children develop the skills necessary for later appropriate social functioning in peer contexts. Pregnancy weight gain by gestational age and stillbirth: a population-based cohort study (BJOG) Objective: To study the association between total and early pregnancy (<22 completed weeks) weight gain and risk of stillbirth, stratified by early-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: The authors found no associations between total or early pregnancy weight gain and stillbirth across the range of weight gain experienced by most women. Sexual assertiveness skills and sexual decision-making in adolescent girls: randomized controlled trial of an online program (American Journal of Public Health) Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of an interactive, web-based sexual health program (Health Education and Relationship Training [HEART]) for developing sexual assertiveness skills and enhancing sexual decision-making in adolescent girls. Conclusions: The authors conclude that this brief online sexual health program can improve short-term outcomes among adolescent girls and offers an exciting new option in the growing array of digital health interventions available to youths. Parental restriction reduces the harmful effects of in-bedroom electronic devices (Archives of Disease in Children) Objective: To investigate whether school readiness could be affected by placing electronic devices in children's bedroom and whether the relationship was moderated by parental restriction and family socioeconomic status. Conclusion: Electronic device placement in children's bedroom was associated with lower school readiness, particularly among lower socioeconomic status families. Parental restriction might help to alleviate the harm. Effect of exclusive breastfeeding on selected adverse health and nutritional outcomes: a nationally representative study (BMC Public Health) Background: Despite growing evidence in support of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among infants in the first 6 months of birth, the debate over the optimal duration of EBF continues. This study examines the effect of termination of EBF during the first 2, 4 and 6 months of birth on a set of adverse health and nutritional outcomes of infants. Conclusion: Children who are not offered EBF up to 6 months of their birth may suffer from a range of infectious diseases and under-nutrition. Health promotion and other public health interventions should be enhanced to encourage EBF at least up to six-month of birth. Association between maternal sleep practices and late stillbirth – findings from a stillbirth case-control study (BJOG) Objective: To report maternal sleep practices in women who experienced a stillbirth compared with controls with ongoing live pregnancies at similar gestation. Conclusions: This study confirms that supine going-to-sleep position is associated with late stillbirth. Further work is required to determine whether intervention(s) can decrease the frequency of supine going-to-sleep position and the incidence of late stillbirth. A summary of the research from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) gives more information, including: The Midlands and North of England Stillbirth Study (MiNESS) is the largest study of maternal sleep position and risk of stillbirth. It looked at 291 pregnancies that ended in stillbirth and 735 women who had a live birth. The findings suggest women who go to sleep on their back - known as the supine position - have a 2.3 fold increase in risk of late stillbirth (after 28 weeks of gestation) compared with women who sleep on their side. It also estimates that if all pregnant women in the UK went to sleep on their side in the third trimester, there would be a 3.7% decrease in stillbirth – equivalent saving around 130 babies' lives a year. Led by the charity Tommy's, a public health campaign called 'Sleep on Side' has been launched and aims to educate women about the risk of going to sleep on their back in late pregnancy. Heterosexual practices among young people in Britain: evidence from three national surveys of sexual attitudes and lifestyles (Journal of Adolescent Health) Purpose: To describe time trends and current patterns in sexual practices with opposite-sex partners among men and women aged 16–24 years in Britain. Conclusions: Recent decades have seen an earlier age at initiation of partnered sexual experiences and increased diversity in heterosexual practices among young people. Keeping pace with trends in sexual practices is necessary to safeguard young people's health and to support them in increasing their sexual well-being. Preconception lifestyle changes in women with planned pregnancies (Midwifery) Objectives: To study preconception lifestyle changes and associated factors in women with planned pregnancies; and to assess the prevalence of risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women not reporting any preconception lifestyle. Conclusions: Multiparous women and women of lower socio-economic status were less likely to change their lifestyle before conception. Strategies to promote preconception health in these women need to be tailored to their needs and characteristics to overcome barriers to change. It may be advantageous to reach these women through non-medical channels, such as schools or other community organizations. Maternal and paternal experiences and satisfaction with a co-parenting breastfeeding support intervention in Canada (Midwifery) Objective: The objective of this study was to determine maternal and paternal satisfaction with the intervention they received while participating in a co-parenting breastfeeding support trial. Implications for practice: Providing information to parents on breastfeeding, including fathers, and co-parenting was well received by parents. Information should target both parents and be delivered in a variety of modes. Childbirth and parenting preparation in antenatal classes (Midwifery) Objectives: To describe topics presented by midwives' during antenatal classes and the amount of time spent on these topics, and raised and discussed by first-time parents and the amount of time spent on these topics. Highlights: The midwifes targeted birth preparation more than parenting preparation; parents want a balance between birth preparation and parenting preparation; parents expressed concerns about what could happened once they are home; all participants needed more time to discuss with other parents. Care and self-reported outcomes of care experienced by women with mental health problems in pregnancy: Findings from a national survey (Midwifery) This study describes the significant additional care provided to women self-identifying with mental health problems in pregnancy, the mixed effects of support, advice and treatment, and the poor perception of staff interaction among women with mental health problems. Implications for practice: Health care professionals may need additional training to effectively support women with mental health problems during the perinatal period. Tobacco cessation interventions for young people (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) Background: Worldwide, between 80,000 and 100,000 young people start smoking every day. Many adolescent tobacco programmes focus on preventing teenagers from starting to smoke, but some programmes have been aimed at helping those teenagers who are already smoking to quit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that help young people to stop smoking tobacco. Implications for practice: Evidence on the effectiveness of behavioural interventions in this age group is limited by issues with imprecision, heterogeneity, and risk of bias. Group counselling interventions and behavioural interventions designed using complex theoretical models appear to show the most promise. There remains little evidence on effectiveness of pharmacotherapies in this age group and we judge effect estimates very likely to change should further research become available. Consequently, there is not sufficient evidence to recommend widespread implementation of any one model or to recommend provision of a particular service to support young people to stop smoking. School practices important for students' sexual health: analysis of the school health research network survey in Wales (European Journal of Public Health) Background: This study investigates how the sexual health outcomes of a representative sample of students aged 15–16 in Wales vary according to the person delivering Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in schools, students' access to on-site sexual health services and access to free condoms. Conclusions: SRE delivery by educators other than teachers is optimum to young people's sexual health outcomes. Further funding and coordination of on-site sexual health advice services are required. Longitudinal research is needed to identify the temporal sequence of sexual health practices and outcomes. The association between paternal and adolescent depressive symptoms: evidence from two population-based cohorts (The Lancet Psychiatry) Background: Although maternal depression is a risk factor for adolescent depression, evidence about the association between paternal and adolescent depression is inconclusive, and many studies have methodological limitations. The authors aimed to assess the association between paternal and adolescent depressive symptoms in two large population-based cohort studies. Interpretation: The results show an association between depressive symptoms in fathers and depressive symptoms in their adolescent offspring. These findings support the involvement of fathers as well as mothers in early interventions to reduce the prevalence of adolescent depression, and highlight the importance of treating depression in both parents. A summary of the research is provided by University College London (UCL). Video feedback promotes relations between infants and vulnerable first-time mothers: a quasi-experimental study (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth) Background: Supporting early mother-infant relationships to ensure infants' future health has been recommended. The aim of this study was to investigate whether video feedback using the Marte Meo method promotes a healthy early relationship between infants and vulnerable first-time mothers. Conclusion: The findings support the assumption that video feedback using the Marte Meo method early after birth may strengthen the relationship between infants and vulnerable firsttime mothers as well as improve maternal psychosocial functioning. Further research applying random assignment is needed to strengthen these conclusions; further research is also needed to assess any long term effects of the video feedback intervention using the Marte Meo method. Perinatal mortality associated with induction of labour versus expectant management in nulliparous women aged 35 years or over: an English national cohort study (PLOS Medicine) This study aimed to answer the question 'Does routine induction of labour at or after 39 weeks of gestation reduce the risk of perinatal mortality in first-time mothers aged 35 years or older, compared with expectant management?' Conclusions: Bringing forward the routine offer of induction of labour from the current recommendation of 41–42 weeks to 40 weeks of gestation in this group of women may reduce overall rates of perinatal death. Commons Select Committee - Evidence-based early-years intervention inquiry launch The Science and Technology Committee will examine the strength of the evidence linking adverse childhood experiences with long-term negative outcomes, the evidence base for related interventions, whether evidence is being used effectively in policy-making, and the support and oversight for research into this area. The Committee would welcome written submissions by 8 December 2017 on current research into 'adverse childhood experiences', the extent of the evidence linking them to negative outcomes in later life and relevant educational, social and health interventions, as well as the extent to which this research is supported and used by Government. Eligibility for free school meals and the early years pupil premium under Universal Credit The Department for Education is inviting views on proposals for free school meals eligibility and early years pupil premium eligibility under Universal Credit. The consultation document explains: - The general principles taken into account in considering changes to the eligibility criteria for free school meals and the early years pupil premium in light of the introduction of Universal Credit. The intention is that these entitlements reach the most disadvantaged households in a way that is consistent, fair and simple. - The measures the Department plan to take to protect those families who would otherwise lose entitlement to free school meals as a result of this criteria change. - Plans for communicating these changes to parents, providers and local authorities, and steps to support their implementation. The consultation closes 11 January 2018. Working together to safeguard children: changes to statutory guidance The Department for Education invites your views on changes to the statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children', new 'child death review' guidance, and new regulations. This consultation seeks views on significant revisions to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance which sets out what is expected of organisations, individually and jointly, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. These revisions are being made largely to reflect the legislative changes introduced through The Children and Social Work Act 2017 and new Child Death Review guidance. Consultation closes on 31 December 2017.
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