Purpose

Proposed decision
 
That the Cabinet Member for
Adult Social Care and Public Health approve the adoption and
implementation of the Infant Feeding Strategy
 
 
Reason
 
The requirement from
the Department of Education (DfE) is to co-create and embed an
infant feeding strategy which ensures services are tailored to the
local communities and there is a coherent and joined-up approach
between staff and organisations.
 

Background

 
The
requirement to develop a co-created Infant feeding strategy has
provided opportunity to bring stakeholders together from across the
system, to raise awareness of infant feeding and identify where
there are gaps in support.  The strategy
has been made available for a period of eight weeks for public
consultation during February – April 2024.
 
How
the proposed decision supports the Council’s Strategy
2022-26
 
This
service contributes to ‘Priority 1: Levelling up Kent’
of the Framing Kent’s Future Our Council Strategy 2022-2026
as providing parents/mums the support in giving their babies the
best start in life to improve the population’s health and
narrowing health inequalities. 
 
Securing Kent’s Future
 
The proposed decision aligns
with Objective 3 of securing Kent’s Future: Policy choices
and scope of Council’s ambitions
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public
Health, I agree to:

 

a)   
APPROVE the adoption of
the Infant feeding strategy, ‘Nourishing our next
generation.’ and to

 

b)   
DELEGATE authority to
the Director of Public Health to take necessary actions, including
but not limited to, allocating resources, expenditure, entering
into contracts and other legal agreements, as required to implement
the decision.