The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is delighted to announce the accreditation of the HEY! training course led by the partnership of Danone Baby Nutrition UK (DBN UK) and The Community Health and Learning Foundation (CHLF).
HEY! is a community health improvement programme for parents with children between the ages of one and three. It is designed to improve health outcomes and life chances of the children, by engaging with their parents to deliver practical healthy eating support and life skills learning. It is delivered through children’s centres, targeting families living in the most disadvantaged areas of DBN UK’s local community.

Thanks to the partnership of DBN UK and CHLF, and in consideration of 4Children and Wiltshire Council, HEY! has so far reached 42 families across Trowbridge. The positive impact of HEY! has inspired DBN UK to expand the coverage of the programme, across the South West in the first instance and then further appropriate areas across England.

Liz Ellis, HR Director for Danone Baby Nutrition UK, says: “We are extremely proud of HEY! and so we're delighted to gain RSPH accreditation for this initiative. It's recognition of the hard work and commitment not just from our own employees, but also that of our partners and the parents that we work with. Hearing parents talk about the positive changes that they are making as a result of attending HEY!, such as checking food labels, understanding portion sizes, and saving money on their food shopping is incredibly rewarding, and inspires us to continue expanding the programme in order to reach more families in need."

Janet Solla Director for Community Health Learning Foundation says: “We are delighted to be working with Danone and other partners on a programme that has made such a difference to parents and their children. It highlights how important it is that parents have good health literacy skills so that they can make informed health choices for themselves and their family. We know this is particularly important for children aged 1 to 3 as it is during this period that much of their future health outcomes are determined. Having RSPH accreditation can only be of help as we all work together to expand the programme.”

The RSPH’s accreditation scheme endorses training programmes that promote and support communities’ health and wellbeing. The HEY! programme has undergone an expert assessment of its effectiveness in the delivering of practical healthy eating support and life skills learning.

RSPH chief executive, Shirley Cramer CBE, comments: “Initiatives such as HEY! provide parents with valuable support to make decisions about their diet and lifestyle that will give their little ones the best start and to keep them healthy later in life. The RSPH is proud to be supporting this work through its accreditation”.