Problematic eating behaviours and complicated relationships with food are common in looked-after children, who also have a higher risk of poor mental and physical health and social outcomes due to abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood events.
The nutritional needs of looked-after children are inextricably connected to the other challenges they face, and supporting a healthy approach to food makes positive outcomes more achievable. Halliwell Homes has developed a Therapeutic Nutrition Programme for every child who lives in its residential homes, as part of its wider approach to addressing their emotional, behavioural, social and developmental needs.
“Statistically, looked-after children have a much higher risk of poor health in adulthood,” says Andrew Sheffield, nutrition lead at Halliwell Homes, who created the programme. “If we can give them a really good diet and teach them about healthy eating, hopefully that will diminish some of those risks as they get older.”
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