Key information
Decision type: Director
Reference code: DD2158
Date signed:
Decision by: Jeff Jacobs , Head of Paid Service
Executive summary
This DD seeks approval for the GLA to receive external grant funding to the value of $100,000
(approximately £60,000) from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Healthy Cities Programme to commission a
process and impact evaluation of the first year of the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) programme.
Decision
That the Executive Director of Communities & Intelligence approves:
1. the receipt of funding of the value of $100,000 (approximately £60,000) from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Healthy Cities Programme; and
2. expenditure of the same to commission a process and impact evaluation of the first year of the HEYL programme.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 The Mayor has accepted an invitation extended by Bloomberg Philanthropies to participate in the $5million Partnership for Healthy Cities (PHC) Initiative which launched on 17 May 2017. Forty Cities around the world are participating in this initiative to reduce non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases, which are responsible for 67 percent of the deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
1.2 Bloomberg approved on 20 September 2017 the proposal submitted by the GLA to commission a process and impact evaluation of the first year of the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) programme. This will touch on the Healthy Cities priorities of smoking cessation and increasing physical activity and mainly focuses on their food and drink priority Nutrition healthy food for all.
2.1 The HEYL programme is an awards and recognition programme which supports early years’ settings to address a number of health and education priorities including childhood obesity, social, emotional and cognitive development and parental support. It builds on the very successful Healthy Schools London Programme which has over 80% of London schools participating. Currently we are in the pilot stage with six London Boroughs and 68 settings participating testing the materials and processes. We plan to take HEYL to scale and roll out to all London’s early year’s settings from Spring 2018.
2.2 HEYL will provide tools, support and networking opportunities to early years’ settings, enabling them to create high quality, healthy learning environments to increase access to healthy food, provide opportunities to be more physically active and help improve physical, social and emotional health and wellbeing and school readiness.
2.3 The aim of the evaluation is to assess the contribution that the HEYL programme makes to improving health and well-being, reducing inequalities in health and improving school readiness among children under five in London’s HEYL Pilot settings, and to make recommendations for improvements to the ongoing programme. In particular The evaluation will consider settings compliance of the food and drink standards as outlined by the current Children’s Food Trust (CFT) Food and Drink Guidelines for early years’ settings (Government standards to be revised Autumn 2017) and the UNICEF breastfeeding friendly initiative. It will also identify the support required to enable low compliance settings to meet guidelines to achieve the HEYL Bronze Award.
2.4 The adoption of a rigorous approach to evaluation of HEYL is important. As well as appealing to London policymakers looking at holistic delivery models the evaluation will also inform international stakeholders interested in city-wide settings based approaches to tackling health inequalities and academics will be interested in developing the evidence base for healthy early years interventions.
3.1 Healthy Early Years London will be a key tool in the delivery of the Mayors new Health Inequalities Strategy. This aims to ensure that every London child has a healthy start in life and proposes that the Mayor:
• “Launch a new health programme that will support London’s early years’ settings. This will be twinned with his successful Healthy Schools London Programme, ensuring that London’s children have healthy places in which to learn, play and develop”.
4.1 A Health Inequalities Assessment was carried out for the HEYL programme in January 2016. Overall the assessment suggests that the programme will have a positive effect on both health and health inequalities. It recommended some changes to the existing tools in order to maximise the positive effects, and that further consideration needs to be given to the support available, from both the GLA and Local Authorities, to settings and childminders who participate in the programme. These issues are being addressed through the pilot period. After the initial pilot the assessment also recommended that an evaluation should take place to assess whether the programme is having an impact and identify any changes required.
5.1 Approval is being sought for the receipt and expenditure of $100,000 (approximately £60,000) in grant funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Healthy Cities Programme, to commission a process and impact evaluation of the first year of the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) programme.
6.1 Power to undertake the requested decision
6.1.1 Section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (“the Act”) entitles the GLA, after appropriate consultation, to do anything which will further the promotion within Greater London of economic development and wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment.
6.1.2 Section 34 of the Act allows the GLA, to do anything which will facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA.
6.2 In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
• pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
• consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
• consult with appropriate bodies.
6.3 Sections 1-5 of this report demonstrate that:
6.3.1 The requested decision may be viewed as falling within the GLA’s powers to do anything which is facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the GLA’s exercise of its power under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to promote social development within Greater London. In this regard, the HEYL programme aims to improve health and well-being, reduce inequalities in health and improve school readiness.
6.4 General requirements
6.4.1 Officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is put in place between and executed by Bloomberg Philanthropies Healthy Cities Programme and the GLA.
6.4.2 Any procurement required and authorised should be undertaken in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and in consultation with Transport for London Procurement, who will determine the procurement strategy.
6.4.3 Officers must ensure that appropriate contract documentation be put in place and executed by the successful bidders(s) and the GLA before the commencement of the services.
7.1 The purpose of the evaluation: To assess the level of engagement of early years’ settings in the first year with the HEYL programme and any differential uptake by socio-economic, ethnicity and health/school readiness factors.
7.2 Evaluation Sample: The setting that will participate in the first year of the HEYL programme. This
will include the pilot boroughs (Croydon, Havering, Hounslow, Lambeth, Southwark and Tower Hamlets) who were recruited based upon pilot criteria: geography-inner/outer London; presence of existing HEY programme; Food flagship status; low performance in school readiness and health indicators. These boroughs will have been participating in HEYL since May 2017 and will hopefully continue post September 2017 when the Pilot ends.
7.3 Evaluation study aim: To assess the contribution that the HEYL programme makes to improving
health and well-being, reducing inequalities in health and improving school readiness among
children under five in London’s HEYL Pilot settings, and to make recommendations for improvements to the ongoing programme.
Study objectives
• To assess the level of engagement with the HEYL programme and any differential uptake by socio-economic; ethnicity and health / school readiness factors
• To explore the extent to which involvement in HEYL is associated with changes in setting-level policies, activities and programmes
• To explore the facilitators and barriers to setting involvement in HEYL
• To explore whether Healthy Early Years status is associated with changes in key indicators of health knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour, such as changes in eating, drinking or physical activity in children, parents/carers and staff
• To assess whether HEYL affects health outcomes, such as levels of tooth decay and obesity.
• To assess whether HEYL affects school readiness outcomes including improvements in personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language.
• To assess whether HEYL adds value to local work in early years settings
• To assess the effectiveness of the Evaluation approach for ongoing HEYL Evaluation
Signed decision document
DD2158 Bloomberg Healthy Cities (signed) PDF