Healthier Wealthier Families is a new initiative aimed at improving the financial well-being of children and their families.
The idea is to intervene as early as possible in a child’s life to reduce financial hardship. Raising a disabled child with additional needs also has a huge impact on family finances.
In Newham, families who have used the Healthier Wealthier Families service have received a range of support, including where applicable, supporting residents to claim on average more than £17,000 per family in additional benefits income.
The service is a partnership between SCYPS (Specialist Children & Young People’s Services) and Newham Council’s Our Newham Money Service.
SCYPS healthcare professionals make referrals to Our Newham Money and share details with families who really need support but have not previously accessed it. Appointments with benefits advisors are held at West Ham Lane Health Centre in Stratford.
Our Newham Money also has access to interpreters for appointments to ensure the needs of every client can be discussed in detail.
The programme lead from Our Newham Money, Jodi Wallace, said:” The new approach is connecting my team with people who would not normally know support was available or where to ask for help.
"This work is more important than ever as people experience severe financial pressure due to sharp cost of living increases.”
This project runs alongside similar work being delivered in Tower Hamlets children's centres.
The initial service development work, led by Consultant Paediatrican Professor Michelle Heys (SCYPS and Institute of Child Health UCL), Dr Angela Bartley(ELFT) and Professor Claire Cameron (Institute of Education, UCL), has been funded by ELFT charity and the local borough of Tower Hamlets.
The benefits advisers are helping families experiencing financial hardship make the most of their incomes and help them find other sources of support.
Dr Joanne Beckmann from SCYPS, Clinical Lead for Community Paediatrics and Consultant Community Paediatrician, said many service users at West Ham Lane Health Centre had complex medical needs which mean many parents and carers are unable to work.
“Money is such a big stress for everyone in the current climate,” she said.
“Asking service users if they need financial support and being able to refer them directly to the Our Newham Money Service on site has been received positively.
"Improving financial circumstances also supports people’s mental health and the ability to live and eat well, helping families staying fitter and healthier.”
This initiative was partly funded by the ELFT Charity