Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative

The Health Equity Collaborative is an innovative partnership which brings together children’s charity Barnardo’s, the UCL Institute for Health Equity (IHE) and integrated care systems (ICSs) from Birmingham and Solihull, South Yorkshire and Cheshire and Merseyside.

This first-of-its-kind programme, which is sponsored by Barnardo’s for a three-year period, aims to tackle physical and mental health inequalities facing children and young people today.

It is well reported that today’s younger generations are struggling in a post-Covid era and through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The aim of the Health Equity Collaborative is to identify and address the social determinants of health which both affect and matter most to children and young people across the key issues of Education, Home, and Community. 

Find out more about the Collaborative by watching the video below and visiting the Barnardo's website.

Health Equity Champions

Our Health Equity Champions are a group of children and young people who have been kindly volunteering their time to influence the work of the Collaborative.

The Cheshire and Merseyside ICS champions are Emily, Nel, Bella, and Erin - you can read more about them on the Barnardo's website. 

Child Health Equity Framework

The Collaborative sees action on the social determinants of health as essential in improving health outcomes among babies, children and young people and reducing inequalities in health.

Developed with the Healthy Equity Champions group, the Child Health Equity Framework underpins action for achieving greater health equity in babies, children and young people’s health and wellbeing.

Children and young people engagement

More than 300 children and young people across the three ICS regions have shared an insight into what health means to them, sharing their lived experience and the factors which influence their lives and wellbeing.

Responses from this work have allowed an understanding of the key views and priorities of children and young people involved. The findings from this engagement have been incorporated into the Child Health Equity Framework to ensure children and young people’s views and lived experiences inform and are embedded in it.

The report below documents the children and young people’s engagement exercises that shaped the Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative.

Stay up to date

If you have any queries regarding the Collaborative or if you would like to receive the newsletter, please email childhealthequity@barnardos.org.uk.

Previous editions can be found on the Barnardo's website.