Waltham Forest Council's Cabinet has approved a significant £75.8 million contract for children's health services, a move designed to enhance early intervention and support for young people and their families.
The decision, made at a meeting on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, will see the recommissioning of key services including the Healthy Child Programme (0-19) and the Best Start Service (0-5). A competitive procurement process will now commence under the Provider Selection Regime.
Under the recommissioned contract, specific services will be divided into three lots. Lot 1 will cover Universal and Targeted Services for children aged 0-5 and their parents. Lot 2 will focus on the discretionary Healthy Living offer, while Lot 3 will encompass the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) aimed at supporting vulnerable first-time young parents. This recommissioning aims to strengthen prevention and early intervention across the 0-19 age range, improve school readiness, and ensure the continued delivery of mandated Healthy Child Programme and Family Hub services.
The council acknowledged that funding has reduced in real terms, necessitating a focus on core statutory requirements. To mitigate the impact of reduced funding and maintain the quality and scope of essential services, the council will prioritize the continued delivery of mandated Healthy Child Programme and Family Hub services within existing budgets. This approach is intended to provide stability and avoid immediate service disruption.
Furthermore, the recommissioning process involved a detailed review of discretionary elements to achieve required savings while protecting high-impact preventative services. The meeting also approved the reduction of investment in the discretionary Healthy Living offer to achieve these savings. While this strategy enables stability, it requires careful management of ongoing pressures such as high caseloads, increasing demand, and workforce capacity. The council stated that this careful management may have implications for service resilience over time.
More information can be found in the Decisions 02nd Jun 2026 14.00 Cabinet document.