The Integrated Care Strategy
The Integrated Care Strategy states that we want all children to have the best possible start in life, regardless of where they are born, and have positive physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
In delivering the strategy we are working to:
- Support children to have the best start in life – the first 1000 days
- Improve access and mental health outcomes
- Work with schools and other key partners on prevention and early intervention
- Develop a trauma informed approach
Rebooting Democracy project
One of the key successes of the Integrated Care Partnership has been working with the University of Southampton to enable young people to influence social policy. The rebooting democracy project began in February 2024 and culminated in an Integrated Care Partnership Assembly, hosted by young people where they shared their policy recommendations in November 2024.
At the beginning of the project, the team at the University of Southampton recruited young people aged 16 to 18 years. A core principle was that the young people would be paid for their time and their travel expenses. The fifteen young people participated in research skills and training between March and July 2024, as part of the Southampton young research training programme. The training covered different research methods to enable young people to design and conduct their own research. Following the research with their peers a “youth jury” was held where the findings and draft policy recommendations were shared with subject experts from across the Integrated Care Partnership. The young people then co-designed an assembly held in November 2024 attended by 80 key partners to develop an action plan to deliver the recommendations. Progress on the policy recommendations will be reported to the Integrated Care Partnership joint committee to ensure momentum is maintained. The project won the Innovation in Community Partnership and Development Award at the Hampshire Changemakers Awards 2025, hosted by Action Hampshire.
First 1001 Days programme
The First 1001 Days programme aims to secure the best possible outcomes for children. The programme provides a coherent cross-agency pathway of support for the first 1001 days of life (from preconception to two and half years of age).
The programme has worked together to produce the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Infant Feeding Strategy which was published in June 2025.
The other priorities for the programme are to:
- Strengthen preconception and the First 1001 Days approach alongside local maternity and neo-natal research and funding opportunities
- Review the Hampshire and Isle of Wight healthy child programme
- Support a unified digital offer for new parents and families
- Support the uptake of the ages and stages questionnaire and to inform high impact child development interventions
- Scope the opportunities to support volunteers in the sector