Delivery of NHS Healthy Start Community Champions training to RSLs in Cheshire & Merseyside

HEG has recently finished delivering a series of NHS Healthy Start Community Champions training sessions to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) across Cheshire and Merseyside. The training formed part of a workstream on social housing and food insecurity for the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance Strategic Obesity Project. The training was delivered by public health nutritionists from HEG alongside colleagues working on food insecurity from Cheshire East Community & Voluntary Services. In addition to the training, a dedicated briefing paper with localised information has been developed to support housing organisations to raise awareness of the Healthy Start scheme and promote uptake among eligible families.

The development of the training and briefing paper followed feedback from a cross-sector workshop held in February 2025, which brought together over 80 delegates from social housing, public health and VCFSE organisations across Cheshire & Merseyside. The workshop highlighted the important role RSLs can play in promoting the Healthy Start scheme through their close connections with tenants, their families and the wider communities they support, and the need to build knowledge and capacity amongst frontline staff within RSLs.

The training focused on equipping RSLs with the knowledge and confidence to raise awareness of the Healthy Start scheme, which provides a nutritional safety net for low-income families by offering financial support to help eligible households purchase fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk and infant formula, as well as access free vitamins during pregnancy and early childhood. This support is particularly important given that around 18% of households with children in the UK are experiencing food insecurity. Despite this, uptake of the scheme remains below the Government’s 75% target, meaning many eligible families are missing out on vital support.

As RSLs work closely with many families, they are well placed to help raise awareness of the scheme and encourage eligible households to apply. Three training sessions were delivered between November and March, with strong attendance and engagement from 65 representatives from RSLs across the region. Together, the training and accompanying briefing paper aim to strengthen the role of housing organisations in supporting families to access the Healthy Start scheme. By equipping RSLs with the knowledge and tools to raise awareness, this work hopes to help ensure more eligible families across Cheshire and Merseyside can benefit from the vital nutritional support available during pregnancy and the early years.

One housing association to take advantage of the training was Weaver Vale Housing Trust who said:

“A number of Weaver Vale Housing Trust staff attended the Healthy Start Community Champions training, and it was extremely beneficial.  The teams learnt about the benefits of the scheme and how people in the community can access it.   We have now incorporated the information into one of the workshops we deliver to the community allowing us to encourage take up and support those in need.”

For more information about the training, please contact Abbey Baldwin from HEG at: abbey.baldwin@heg.org.uk