Starting Well

Information on this page and links below provide an overview of prenatal and infant health, lifestyle and risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity, and information on specific population groups such as children in care and young offenders.

There is good evidence that investing in early years services (0 to 5 years) is highly effective in terms of the impact on future health and wellbeing. What happens during pregnancy and early childhood has lifelong effects on many aspects of health and wellbeing, from obesity, heart disease and mental health, to educational achievement and economic status (income).

Ensuring that every child in Wirral has a good start in life is therefore essential for the future health and wellbeing of our residents. For other aspects, such as smoking during pregnancy or childhood obesity, there are important and persistent issues where there are opportunities for the continued, collaborative action to improve outcomes.

As children grow older and reach adolescence, they experience physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioural changes that can affect their physical and mental health. Schools and communities have a key role in supporting children through this transition period. This is particularly important as children begin to take more control of their own health and wellbeing, so that they can develop into healthy adults.