Children in Care

As our service, the Children in Care Team accommodates requests for Initial Health Assessment (IHA), Review Health Assessment (RHA), and Adoption Medicals from the IOW Local Authority and mainland Local Authority for Children in Care placed on the Isle of Wight. We do not currently provide follow-up support or Care Leaver support services.

Our Children in Care (CiC) team consists of:

• Designated doctor, Dr Sian Butterworth

• Designated nurse, Cynthia Condliffe

• Named nurse, Kim Cook
• Named doctor, Dr Blessing Abhulimhen-Iyoha
• Specialist Nurse, Sarah Kearns
• Children in Care Nurse, Emma Woodfield 
• Adoption and Fostering Administrator, Katie Armstrong

We work closely in partnership with other health, social care, and education services, to support our children and young people to remain healthy, both physically and emotionally. The team arrange, co-ordinate and undertake Statutory Health Assessments in accordance with Department of Health Statutory Guidance.

Our services include completing an Initial Health Assessments (IHA) when a child first comes into care by a registered medical practitioner.

Review Health Assessments (RHA), coordinated by the Children In Care & Care Leavers Nursing Team and will be undertaken either by practitioners from the Solent NHS 0–19 Public Health Nurse Service or by our Children in Care Team.

Review Health Assessments will be undertaken

• every 6 months for children under 5 years old.
• annually for children over 5 years and older.

Health Promotion is provided at health assessments and on contact with carers or children, such as healthy eating, dental care, alcohol, substance misuse, sexual health, healthy lifestyles, smoking cessation, safe relationships and emotional wellbeing. This may include signposting or onward referrals to appropriate services.