Case studies

Faced with very poor oral health in young children and significant inequalities throughout the district, Bradford Metropolitan District Council has prioritised the oral health of young children, including it in its Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Inequalities Action Plan.

Children in Lancashire and Cumbria have poorer dental health compared to children in other parts of England. The Smile4Life programme was developed in partnership with local authorities to address this problem.

While oral health in Suffolk is generally good, just over 18 per cent of five-year-olds already have dental decay and in some parts of the county nearly a quarter have one or more decayed teeth.

This project focuses on younger children and includes:

Very young children in Manchester were found to have high levels of tooth decay. Prolonged bottle feeding, often with sugared drinks, was of particular concern in this area.

Computer-based simulation training for prospective social workers.

Case studies range from multi-agency approaches, regional initiatives, awareness raising campaigns and comprehensive service reviews.

North Yorkshire County Council adopted a whole-service approach which has three key elements

 All children have health needs, and local authorities now have a major role in meeting these.

A compilation of several local authority case studies.