Child and maternal health profiles: December 2024 update
Annual update of the child and maternal health profiles, including indicators for health in early pregnancy and birth outcomes, and for child educational outcomes.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The child and maternal health profiles provide an overview of child and maternal health and wellbeing. The profiles give data to inform planning for health and associated services for local populations. They are intended for use by local government and health service professionals.
Healthy pregnancy indicators which were initially produced in September 2020 have been updated using new definitions and an updated data source, the Maternity Services Dataset version 2.0. The indicators cover the following topics in early pregnancy:
- early access to maternity care
- folic acid supplement use
- smoking
- alcohol use
- drug misuse
- maternal obesity
These indicators complement indicators on birth outcomes some of which have been updated:
- multiple births
- low birth weight and very low birth weight babies
- percentage of babies whose first feed is breast milk
The child education and attendance indicators which have also been updated are:
- persistent absentees in primary and secondary schools
- average attainment 8 score of children in care
- school age pupils with special educational needs
Data is presented at a national level, with most indicators also available at regional level and for upper tier local authorities. The healthy pregnancy indicators are also available for integrated care boards (ICBs). The indicators include information about inequalities.
Normally, this release would include an update of the indicator on free school meals uptake. This has been delayed and is anticipated to be released early next year. The update on the percentage of babies whose first feed is breast milk includes a back series to 2019 and replaces previously published data.