Put children first in the fight to reduce health inequalities

Another motion up for debate yesterday at the ARM focused on safeguarding children and their futures.

Delegates are calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to put youngsters at the heart of every one of its department’s priorities, for the next two decades, to give ALL children the best start in life.

One way of dong this could be to increase the number of school nurses in Wales and for these nurses to also take responsibility for public health in schools.

With the measles outbreak which is sweeping through Wales at the moment, there has never been a better time for the WAG to honour its promise, laid down in the One Wales manifesto, to provide a minimum of one family nurse per secondary school by the end of the Assembly term.

I think School Public Health Nurses could have played an integral part in helping to prevent the current measles epidemic from spreading as much as it has by providing advice and guidance to parents.

We need to ensure ALL children are given the best possible start in life and where they go to school can have a big impact on this. That’s why, in the most deprived areas of Wales, we need to transform schools in to safe havens for those youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Very pleasant walk around the Albert dock by the way, shame I didn’t have my camera with me to take a few scenic shots to share with you all on here!