Children’s Health

Support for you and your child

Your child’s growth and development are important to us. There are several trusted services available to give you advice and support from pregnancy through to your child starting school.

Better Health: Start for Life

The NHS Start for Life website offers expert advice on:

• Pregnancy and birth: Staying well while expecting.
• Baby care: Support with feeding, weaning, and sleep.
• Development: Understanding your child’s milestones.
• Parental wellbeing: Looking after your own mental health.

Visit the NHS Start for Life website

Local and National Resources

The following services offer specialist support for families in Dorset:

• Healthier Together: Quick advice for parents and young people on common childhood illnesses and when to seek help.
• Dorset Family Information Service (FIS): Information on local childcare, activities, and family support.
• Dorset Council Family Hubs: Local centres providing support, activities, and help for families with children of all ages.

ParentLine: Text advice for parents and carers

If you live in Dorset, you can use ParentLine to get confidential advice from healthcare professionals. It is a text-only service for questions about your child’s health and development.

For babies and children (Aged 0 to 5)

Get advice from the Health Visiting Team.

• Text: 07312 277162

For children and young people (Aged 5 to 19)

Get advice from the School Nursing Team.

• Text: 07312 263131

Childhood Immunisations

Keeping your child’s vaccinations up to date is one of the best ways to protect them from serious diseases. We provide all routine childhood immunisations at the surgery following the national NHS schedule.

Why vaccinations matter

Vaccines protect your child from serious diseases. These include:

• Common illnesses: such as Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), and Chickenpox.
• Serious infections: such as Polio, Meningitis (B and C), and Whooping Cough.
• Seasonal health: such as the Flu (Seasonal Influenza).

What you need to do:

• Keep a record: It is very important to keep track of your child’s vaccination history. You can find this in their “Red Book” (Personal Child Health Record).
• Check the schedule: View the full list of routine childhood vaccinations and when your child should have them.
• Book an appointment: We will contact you when your child is due for a vaccine, but you can contact the surgery at any time if you have questions or think they have missed one.