The Department for Education and the Department for Health have jointly commissioned an Implementation Study for the Integrated Review at 2-2½ years - integrating the Early Years Foundation Stage Progress Check and the Healthy Child Programme health and development review.
The aims* of the Integrated Health and Early Education Review are:
- To identify the child's progress, strengths and needs at this age in order to promote positive outcomes in health and well being, learning and behaviour.
- To facilitate appropriate intervention and support for children and their families, especially those for whom progress is less than expected.
- To generate information which can be used to plan services and contribute to the reduction of inequalities in children's outcomes.
(*Implementation study November 2014)
Leicestershire process in detail
Leicestershire County Council have worked with the Health teams for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and produced a process for Leicestershire providers. The Leicestershire process will support you to implement the Integrated Health Review.
Systems to support the review
Childminders and Settings ensure that the admissions and registration process includes 'consent to share information with other professionals', and is signed by Parent/Carers.
- Example consent forms and letters can be found in Resources.
- It is vital 'Consent to share information' is signed to allow partnership working with Health to take place. This can be signed even if the parent/carer does not know the name of the Health Visitor.
- Information Sharing Matters is an elearning module from The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (PCPCH).
The Health Visitor Team organises when and where the meetings will take place. In Leicestershire the Health & Development review takes place at two years and three months.
The Health Visitor invites Parents/Carers via a letter, to the meeting and sends the Ages and Stages questionnaires ASQ-3 and ASQSE prior to the meeting.
- As the check in Leicestershire will normally take place at two years three months and parents/carers will only have two weeks notice, it is vital that Settings / Childminders are aware of the two specific timescales in order to support the review.
Each Setting and Childminder to raise awareness to parents /carers of the processes and procedures in place for the two year old check.
- It is really important to ensure parents/carers are aware of the Health & Development Review and the Progress Check to ensure an Integrated Health Review can be established. It is therefore crucial that Settings / Childminders make parents/carers aware of these processes before the child is two.
- Examples of resources to support awareness raising such as a poster and leaflet are available below.
Preparing for the review
Parents/Carers receive the Ages and Stages Questionnaires and complete them prior to the Health and Development review. The Parent/Carer may ask for the Key Person or Healthy Child Programme (HCP) Lead for help in completing this.
- The ASQ must be completed by the parent/carer, however if it is requested, the key person or HCP can support the parent to complete the ASQ.
- Information about the ASQ is available with the introduction to ASQ-3 being a useful section.
Key Person completes the Progress Check. This is shared with the Parent/Carer and given to them to take to the Health and Development review. The Key Person may attend the review if invited by the Parent/Carer.
Completing the review
The two year Health and Development review meeting takes place. The Health Visitor or Community Nursery Nurse completes the insert for the Red Book. The Parent/ Carer are encouraged to share the outcome of the two year Health and Development review meeting with their child's Key Person and give them the copy of the Red Book insert for their records.
- Health professionals are familiar with the progress check.
- Parents/carers will be encouraged to use the red book to store their childs Progress check and ASQ paperwork.
After the review
Health Visitors/Community Nursery Nurse follow up any additional information and advice to Parents/Carers resulting from the 2 year Health and Development review meeting.
Health Visitors/Community Nursery Nurse will make a referral to relevant agencies, for those children in need of help to meet their developmental milestones.
Contacting the Health Visiting Team
Healthy Together have launched a helpline so any queries come into a central point of access. Calls will be dealt with or passed on to the relevant team. Early Years providers can contact the Health Visiting team by calling the Healthy Together Helpline on 0300 300 3001.
Resources
To support the process and implementation of the Integrated Health and Early Education Review.
Example Poster: Now your child is 2
What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage – a guide for parents
Ages and Stages Questionnaire information
Ages and Stages Introduction select 'INTRO TO ASQ-3'