A new service is now available to support overweight children
and young people aged 7-15 years. This is being provided by the
WISH (Wolverhampton Inspiring and Supporting Health) consortium,
which consists of a number of local agencies working in
partnership. The lead partner is TLC College.
The courses which are of 46 weeks duration will focus on
lifestyle improvement for the child and the family in a fun and
friendly environment. It is the intention to develop groups in 8
areas across the city, thereby enabling easy access.
Criteria for access
Age: 7 -15 years
Weight: Overweight for height and age.
Parental/carer attendance is mandatory for the first 10 weeks for
the child to gain access. These sessions will be twice weekly
during the 10 weeks.
Programme
Step1 – MEND IT
MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It!) is a national social
enterprise, working with partners to achieve a shared vision of
fitter, healthier and happier families. The programme consists of
twice weekly sessions for 10 weeks, education on healthy eating,
fun games to stimulate an active interest in physical activity and
behaviour modification techniques to boost self confidence.
Step 2 – CHOOSE IT
Children will have
opportunities to engage in taster sessions to continue being
physically active, try out healthy recipes, health café sessions to
check progress and well being activities for the whole family.
Parents will be expected to continue engagement on a monthly basis.
Families will be encouraged to assist with the development of all
areas of the programme.
Step 3 – KEEP IT
Children and families will now be in a position to keep up their
chosen activities. Weekly physical activities will continue,
encouraging use of mainstream services and increased knowledge of
what is available to support new interests. Families will be
encouraged to share healthy lifestyle ideas on a monthly basis. The
course will conclude with a celebration event.
Referral Process
Families are able to self refer by contacting WISH on 01902
714433.
Health and social care professionals are also able to refer a
child/family. WISH will then follow up the initial enquiry to
ensure access criteria are met and provide details of a local
course that will meet the family needs.
For further information regarding this new service, contact the
Public Health Department on 01902 444470.