Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative (CHEC) 

What is the CHEC? 

The Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative (CHEC) was a three-year partnership between Barnardo’s, the UCL Institute of Health Equity and three Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) across England: Birmingham & Solihull, Cheshire & Merseyside, and South Yorkshire, which was established to show how the healthcare system can improve the social determinants of health for children and young people. and help reduce inequalities in children’s health. 

How the CHEC Made Change Happen 

CHEC helped local ICSs strengthen how they work together, understand local needs, and deliver practical action through partnerships, the involvement of young people, better use of data and stronger leadership for the social determinants of child health 

The CHEC’s Tools, Frameworks and Resources 

The CHEC has developed a suite of practical tools to help health and care systems act to promote child health equity. 

Born Unequal: Tackling the Root Causes of Health Inequity in Childhood  

Evaluation of the Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative (CHEC) 

An independent evaluation of the outcomes and learning from the CHEC programme.  

This also includes evaluation of the Child Health Equity pilot initiatives: 

1. Using Social Value and Corporate Social Responsibility in Procurement to Promote Child Health Equity - Birmingham and Solihull ICS. 
2. Tell Me A Story, Liverpool - Cheshire and Merseyside ICS. 
3. Friday Fun Club in Rotherham - South Yorkshire ICS.

The Child Health Equity Framework 

The Child Health Equity Monitoring Framework – this can currently be downloaded from here and is on this IHE web page.

A framework that maps out the key factors affecting children’s health. Based on the Marmot Principles and insights from more than 300 children, practitioners and experts. 

Additional tools and insights include: 

• Children and Young People's Insight Report
• A Child Health Equity Readiness Tool
• A Children and Young People's Voice and Influence Tool
• A guide on what good child health equity data looks like - is on this IHE webpage

A Call to Action 

CHEC is calling for bold, coordinated action to secure a healthier future for every child. We urge decision-makers to: 

1. Develop a cross-government Child Health Action Plan aligned with the Child Health Equity Framework and underpinned by clear, measurable goals. 

2. Strengthen NHS investment in prevention and equity, with resources targeted where children need them most. 

3. Fully involve children, young people and families in designing and delivering the services that affect their lives. 

4. Build stronger community partnerships across health, education, local government, the VCSE sector and business. 

5. Improve governance and accountability using consistent frameworks and ongoing monitoring to drive progress. 

Together, we can create the healthiest generation yet. 

CHEC shows what’s possible when children’s health equity becomes everyone’s priority. By acting early, working together and listening to children, we can build communities where every child and young person has the chance to grow, thrive and succeed. 

You can read more about the Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative on Barnardo's webpage here