ADD2687 Extension of grant to support boroughs to achieve UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation

1.1.    Breast feeding has numerous health benefits to both mothers and children, supporting the aims of the Mayor’s Healthy Place, Healthy Weight (HPHW) mission for London. 
1.2.    The Mayor committed, in his London Health Inequalities Strategy and London Food Strategy, to work towards making London a baby-friendly city; and encourage boroughs to become accredited through the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) for maternity and community services. 
1.3.    The UNICEF BFI is an accredited, evidence-based infant-feeding programme that enables public services to better support families with feeding, and developing close and loving relationships, so that all babies get the best possible start in life.  
1.4.    As part of the HPHW mission, the GLA awarded grant funding of £25,180 to UNICEF (approved through MD2930) to support 17 eligible boroughs (please see Appendix 1) to achieve or retain BFI accreditation. 
1.5.    As agreed with UNICEF, this support comes via a series of sessions and courses, in which boroughs have expressed an interest: 
•    information session on BFI (this took place on 17 October 2023)
•    one-day course for borough leaders (this took place on 24 October 2023)
•    six planning meetings for boroughs: these are one-day planning meetings, tailored for each borough and designed to kick-start their journey towards accreditation for children’s centres (these will take place between November 2023 and March 2024)
•    a five-day-course: there are two sets of these taking place in early 2024, currently with 12 places in total available across both courses – course 1 is for health professionals, and course 2 is for early-years professionals.
1.6.    Demand from eligible boroughs for the upcoming planning meetings and five-day courses has exceeded the current funding allocation. This decision is seeking approval to meet this unmet need from eligible boroughs. 
1.7.    The cost of £6,280 will be funded from the Children and Young Londoners team’s 2023-24 early years budget. This will fund two additional planning meetings and three additional places across the two five-day-courses. 
1.8.    This would bring our total funding to UNICEF to £31,460. 
 

2.1.    Two additional planning meetings are to be delivered, bringing the total to eight planning meetings.
2.2.    Three additional attendees will be given a place on one of the two five-day courses, bringing the total to 15 attendees. 

2.3.    Eligible boroughs are supported to achieve or retain UNICEF BFI accreditation. Services in these boroughs can better support local families with infant feeding, including supporting more women to breastfeed or to breastfeed for longer.
2.4.    Promotion of good infant nutrition and increased rates of breastfeeding leads to improved outcomes for children, and a reduction in health inequalities. For example, babies who are breastfed are protected against infection, and are less likely to be overweight or obese in later life.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), as a public authority the Mayor must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. 
3.2.    The Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy sets out how the Mayor will help address inequalities, barriers and discrimination experienced by groups protected by the Equality Act. In this strategy, the Mayor of London has, for the first time, gone beyond these legal duties and contributes towards addressing wider issues such as poverty and socio-economic inequality, as well as the challenges and disadvantage facing different groups in London, including young people. 
3.3.    A large body of expert evidence confirms that breastfeeding is extremely beneficial for the health of both mothers and babies, in the short and longer term. For example, it protects babies against infection, and makes them less likely to be overweight or obese in later life. 
3.4.    However, breastfeeding can come with challenges, and some families need extra support to start and sustain it. 
3.5.    Although breastfeeding is free, women in lower-income households, or living in more deprived areas, are less likely to start or sustain breastfeeding. 
3.6.    At present, support and information for breastfeeding varies widely across London. It is important to take evidence-based approaches to enhancing support for those who need it most. 
3.7.    COVID-19 changed the daily lives of children and their families in ways that are likely to have exacerbated levels of childhood obesity. This included higher levels of food insecurity, and long periods of physical inactivity. These impacts have been disproportionately felt by communities who already experience the greatest health inequalities in London. 
3.8.    This was demonstrated in findings from the National Child Measurement Programme for the 2020-21 school year. This shows large increases in the proportion of children living with overweight (including obesity), obesity and severe obesity compared to previous years. The largest increase is found in London. For Reception-age children in London, obesity increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, and for Year 6 children it increased from 23.7 per cent to over 30 per cent. Over 45 per cent of Year 6 children are now overweight or obese. 
3.9.    There is a strong relationship between deprivation and obesity. The effects of deprivation can be seen at both ages 4-5 and 10-11, but they widen with age.
3.10.    In light of the evidence set out above, it is felt that extending our grant to support boroughs to achieve UNICEF baby friendly accreditation will support the duties and policies set out in sections 3.1 and 3.2. 
 

4.1.    Key risks are outlined below:

4.2.    Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities are outlined below: 
•    This work forms part of the HPHW recovery mission for London, which aims to ensure that, by 2023, all London’s children and families will find it easier to eat healthy food and be active where they live, learn, work and play. 
•    In the London Health Inequalities Strategy, the Mayor commits to supporting well-evidenced, health-promoting activities such as breastfeeding. He encourages all London boroughs to become UNICEF BFI-accredited in maternity and community services. 
•    In the London Food Strategy, the Mayor commits to increase rates of breastfeeding, and to work towards making London a ‘baby-friendly’ city; making the GLA Group more breastfeeding-friendly; and encouraging boroughs to become UNICEF BFI-accredited in maternity and community services. 
•    In 2018, the Mayor established the London Child Obesity Taskforce (now the Mayor’s Advisory Group on Child Healthy Weight) to give every child in London the chance to grow up eating healthily, drinking plenty of water and being physically active. Supporting women to breastfeed for longer is one of 10 ambitions set out by this group in their Every Child A Healthy Weight delivery plan
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for expenditure of £6,280 for 2023-24 to cover the cost of: 
•    two additional planning meetings delivered: £2,200 (£1,100 per meeting) 
•    three additional attendees across the five-day courses: £4,080 (£1,360 per attendee) 

5.2.    This funding will come from the Children and Young Londoners team’s Early Years budget 

5.3.    This is in addition to £25,180 already being grant-funded to UNICEF in 2023-24, through the HPHW Mission Development budget approved by MD2930.
5.4.    This would bring our total funding to UNICEF to £31,460. 
 

6.1.    The project will be delivered according to the timetable detailed below. 

Appendix 1: Eligible boroughs