Key topics

The UK has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in Europe. We strongly support national policies, practices and legislation that are conducive to breastfeeding, as well as promotion, advice and support to new mothers.

There are an estimated 4 million children living in poverty in the UK – that’s 30 per cent of all children. Projections indicate that this number may rise to as much as 5 million by the end of the decade, yet national targets to reduce child poverty have been abolished.

As child health professionals, child protection plays a role in everything we do. It is about protecting individual children identified as suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect.

We must work together to improve children's mental health by putting resources into early intervention and prevention, building resilience and ensuring the children’s workforce as a whole is trained to spot the signs of mental ill health and is equipped to refer and support children.

One in three children in the UK are obese by age 9. This increase is leading to more cases of type 2 diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure in children. We campaign for politicians to tackle it and help deal with the serious clinical and family consequences.

Doctors face the extremes of human emotion day after day, while staffing issues and rota gaps mean they are under intense pressure. To manage their workload and personal lives, doctors must learn to look after themselves, too. We offer some practical advice and real life experiences to help support ...