Community and Maternity Champions Services for RBKC & WCC

This is the re-procurement of the Earl’s Court Community Champions service on behalf of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and the Maternity Champions services on behalf of Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Community Champions (CCs) are local resident volunteers who are recruited, trained and supported to improve health, wellbeing and community cohesion within their communities. They work alongside statutory and voluntary sector services to help address poverty, health inequalities and other local issues.

The programme demonstrates how residents, services and providers can work together to improve outcomes for communities. Champions act as trusted local connectors, supporting both short-term emergency responses, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term health promotion, prevention and community resilience.

The programme is also a key partner in the emerging West and North London Integrated Care System’s Bi-Borough Place Based Partnership, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and the Vibrant and Healthy Communities Work Stream.

The overarching aim is, through the recruitment of local resident volunteers, to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities through work with families, friends, neighbours and wider communities. This is delivered through a range of activities, including:

• ongoing activities, groups, classes and sessions;

• outreach, pop-ups and larger community events;

• public health campaigns;

• signposting residents to appropriate local services, including VCSE, Council and NHS provision;

• gathering and feeding back community insights to assist in ensuring services are culturally appropriate and accessible.

The Maternity Champions (MCs) Programme is also a volunteer-led, community-based service that supports expectant and new parents through culturally appropriate peer support, health promotion, outreach and community engagement. The MC programme is embedded within the wider CC programme and operates across all CC projects areas. It is delivered by trained local volunteers and supported by a Maternity Champions Strategic Lead in each borough.

The programme aims to improve maternal health and wellbeing, support positive child development outcomes, increase access to services and reduce inequalities experienced by families in disadvantaged communities.

The service supports the Councils' statutory responsibilities to improve population health and wellbeing, reduce health inequalities and give children the best start in life. It contributes to duties under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the National Health Service Act 2006 (as amended), the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004 and the Childcare Act 2006, as well as broader public health obligations relating to prevention, early intervention and health improvement.

The MCs programme forms part of the wider Pre-Birth to Five pathway and supports local public health priorities for maternal wellbeing, infant health and early childhood development. These include the Best Start in Life Strategy, the Breast-Feeding Plan and the Peri-Natal Mental Health Pathway. It works in partnership with NHS Maternity and Midwifery services and both Councils’ Early Help & Family Hub services and commissioned Health Visiting Services.