School public health service

Kent Community Health (NHS) Foundation Trust is commissioned by Kent County Council (KCC) to deliver the School Public Health Service (primary and secondary) and the Children and Young People’s Counselling Service across Kent.

These services support children and young people in Kent both attending and not attending school. They lead and deliver key elements of the Healthy Child Programme, including the National Childhood Measurement Programme. The services works closely with schools, parents and young people to deliver early intervention and to optimise the health and wellbeing of children and young people aged 5 to 18 years old.

The school health teams work hard to improve the general health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families to support children to get the best start in life. They are located across Kent and work in a variety of settings such as schools, children’s centres and youth hubs.

The teams are led by school nurses who are qualified nurses, with specialist training in public health. They are supported by school staff nurses, assistant practitioners, public health assistants and an administration team. They work closely with health visitors, community paediatricians, schools and other services from your local community in a range of locations, including mainstream schools and special schools and outreach services.

They provide support for a variety of health issues and will refer to specialist services when needed. These include advice, support and help for:

  • daytime and night time wetting and soiling
  • behaviour management
  • healthy eating and lifestyle
  • emotional health and wellbeing
  • puberty and growing up
  • sexual health
  • stopping smoking
  • drug and alcohol misuse
  • sleep
  • complex health needs.

Contact the service

Visit the school health website for more information

Parents, carers, schools and children and young people can contact the service by: