From 1 April 2026 two new organisations are responsible for planning and overseeing local NHS services. If you live in Hertfordshire go to the Central East ICB website. If you live in west Essex go to the Essex ICB website. Find out more

3.1 Priority 1 – Give every child the best start in life

Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Strategy 2023 - 2028: Delivery Plan

Executive Champion

Jo Fisher, Executive Director of Children’s Services, Hertfordshire County Council

Strategic Lead Officers

  • Sally Orr, Hertfordshire County Council
  • Chris Martin and Michelle Hayden-Pepper, Essex County Council
  • Mary Emson, Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB

Priorities

We will ensure that children in Hertfordshire and west Essex have the best opportunity to be safe and well and to reach their potential at school and beyond. We will seek to achieve the following outcomes:

What we will do

The delivery of this priority in Hertfordshire will be aligned to “Our Way Forward Plan for Children and Young People.”

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

HCC Children’s Services, working with:

  • education
  • NHS providers
  • Integrated Care Board
  • public health
  • voluntary sector through the Hertfordshire Children and Young People Board.

Timescale

Year 1 (2023/24 – 2024/25)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Work together to coordinate support, make every contact count and reduce duplication between services through the development of the Family Hubs model, working with families and partners including the VCSFE, schools, the NHS, districts/borough councils.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

HCC Children’s Services, working with:

  • education
  • NHS providers
  • Integrated Care Board
  • public health
  • voluntary sector through the Hertfordshire Children and Young People Board.

Timescale

Year 1 – 3 (2023/24 – 2025/26)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Work with partners, children and young people and families to develop a digital offer of all services delivered in the Family Hubs model including partner services – the VCFSE sector and District/Borough Councils etc. We will co-design the digital offer for all CYP, with areas for young people and young adults.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

HCC Children’s Services, working with:

  • education
  • NHS providers
  • Integrated Care Board
  • public health
  • voluntary sector through the Hertfordshire Children and Young People Board.

Timescale

Years 2 – 4 (2024/25–2026/27)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Provide information to relevant health care practitioners and families of environmental factors which may adversely affect children’s health, such as air pollution.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
  • HCC Public Health
  • ECC Public Health

Timescale

Year 1 – 3 (2023/24 – 20025/26)

Governance

ICB Children and Young People Transformation Board

What we will do

Prioritise early help and early intervention so that families have access to universal information and available support so they can access support early or as needs emerge in their communities, working together with early years providers, schools, youth services, and the VCFSE

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Year 1 (2023/24 – 2024/25)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board
Essex Children’s Partnership

What we will do

Map key service areas in Hertfordshire to identify the most suitable venues for development in consultation with the community as part of the recommissioning of the Family Centre Service and later the integration of other partners and services under the Family Hub model. Funding may be required to improve spaces for multi-purpose use.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Year 1 (2023/24 – 2024/25)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Complete phase 1 procurement of the Family Centre  Service to deliver universal and targeted support for children, young people and families and mobilise a new service to create a quadrant-based core offer with strong partner and community links within the VCFSE, schools, HCC teams, districts/borough councils and the NHS.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 2-3 (2024/25 – 2025/26)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Consult, involve and bring on board wider partners, including the VCFSE to embed a preventative approach with holistic whole family support within the Family Hub delivery model, drawing learning from Essex who are further ahead in the development of their Family Hubs.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 2-4 (2024/25 – 2026/27)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Ensure parents of children under 5 years old have access to information, advice, and parenting support through our ‘No Wrong Door’ approach to enable them to support and prepare their children for the start of school.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 1 (2023/24)

Governance

  • Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board
  • Essex Children’s Partnership

What we will do

Work in partnership with Maternity Services, Early Years Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEN) & Private, Voluntary and Independent Childcare Providers (PVIs) to identify families that require support and ensure timely coordinated early help support to remove barriers to early learning.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 1 (2023/24 – 2024/25)

Governance

  • Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board
  • Essex Children’s Partnership

What we will do

Jointly plan and commission family help and family safeguarding, with multi-disciplinary teams focused around community settings such as schools and the Family Centre service, with services tailored to neighbourhood needs.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 1 (2023/24 – 2024/2025)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Jointly plan and deliver early help across the SEND system, so that children with additional needs and their families have the right support at the right time and before statutory assessment; with continued planning of early help for children with emotional wellbeing concerns including school mental health support and parental advice and guidance.

Area of work

Hertfordshire

Who will lead?

  • HCC Children’s Services
  • HCC Public Health
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 1 (2023/24 – 2024/2025)

Governance

Hertfordshire Children and Young People Commissioning Board

What we will do

Through collaboration and active engagement in the Essex system wide SEND Transformation Programme, improve the approaches to early and accurate identification of need for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health EMH needs and SEND and ensure the right high quality support and provision is available and impactful, at the right time.

Area of work

Essex

Who will lead?

  • Essex County Council
  • Herts’ and West Essex ICB

Timescale

Years 1 (2023/24 – 2024/2025)

Governance

Essex Children’s Partnership

What we will do

Work in partnership with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to deliver the national Core20PLUS5 framework for children and young people to reduce health inequalities amongst children and young people in the most deprived areas in Hertfordshire and West Essex.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

Herts’ and West Essex ICB working with Partners through the ICS Health Inequalities Strategic Board

Timescale

Years 1 – 3 (2023/24 – 2025/2026)

Governance

ICS Health Inequalities Strategic Board

What we will do

Work collaboratively with health and care partners and in partnership with parents, schools and communities to tackle and reduce the number of children aged 4 – 5  and aged 10 – 11 who are overweight or obese in Hertfordshire and West Essex.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • HCC Public Health
  • ECC Public Health

Timescale

Years 1 – 3 (2023/24 – 2025/2026)

Governance

ICS Prevention Strategic Group

What we will do

Work in partnership with parents, schools, communities and professionals to improve awareness and access to emotional wellbeing and mental health support services for children and young people and their families and reduce the number of children and young people needing specialist mental health hospital provision.

Area of work

Hertfordshire and West Essex

Who will lead?

  • Herts and West Essex ICB
  • HCC
  • ECC
  • HPFT
  • EPUT

Timescale

Years 1 – 3 (2023/24 – 2025/2026)

Governance

  • Hertfordshire Emotional and Mental Health Wellbeing Board
  • Essex Children’s Partnership

Outcomes we want to achieve for our residents through delivering this priority as ‘I’ statements

As a parent:

  • I can access appropriate services in my community
  • I can meet with other parents/carers and develop local support networks
  • I know who I can contact for professional advice and support if I have a concern about the needs of my child
  • I know what I can do to help my child’s development and where to access help
  • I know what I can do to help my child with additional needs and where to access help

As a child:

  • I am looked after and supported to be my best
  • I feel safe and happy at home
  • I have friends and time to play
  • I like learning

Potential key performance measures

  • Indicator 1 – Proportion of children 0 – 18 (up to 25 for those with SEND) accessing early help support through Children’s Services.
  • Indicator 2 – Number of children 0 – 18 (up to 25 for those with SEND) accessing mental health support
  • Indicator 3 – Number of 0 – 4 year olds’ attendance in the A & E
  • Indicator 4 – Proportion of population vaccination coverage – MMR for one dose and Dtap/IPV/Hib at 2 years old and immunisations for Children under 5 and  CLA immunisations – under 5 years
  • Indicator 5 – Proportion of children taking up Free Early Years Education Entitlement at  aged 2, 3, and 4 years old and proportion of children with SEND taking up their free entitlement.
  • Indicator 6 – Proportion of children reaching a good level of development (Early Years Foundation Stage assessment) in Reception year

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