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Healthy lunchbox resources

Parents and carers can take advantage of a new Dudley Public Health and Wellbeing website to help them create healthy and tooth-friendly children’s lunchboxes.

It includes:

• ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes for 14 lunchboxes
• advice on how to make lunchboxes that are healthy, tooth friendly, cost-effective, time-saving and full of variety
• scrummy swaps helping make the lunchboxes suitable for a variety of dietary needs
• a downloadable weekly lunchbox planner and an editable template for parents/carers to personalise to suit their own families
• and more

Childcare support

15 hours funded childcare is now available for eligible working parents of two-year olds. If your child turns two before 31 March you can apply for a place now to start in April 2024.

Free course – Physical development and early years

Open University and the Association of Directors in Public Health West Midland has developed a free physical development and early years course for parents, carers and educators of babies and young children within the region. 

Attendees of the course will learn how to ensure the physical and mental development of the children, while doing so in cost effective ways.

Recipe book for young people

With support from Dudley Council, a group of Young Commissioners have produced their own recipe book full of quick and easy meal ideas for young people that prepare dishes independently at home.

iZone for children and young people

A new website has been launched for children and young people living in Dudley.  The website provides information and links to services and resources on important health and wellbeing topics, such as mental wellbeing and sexual health.

MMR catch-up clinic

An MMR vaccine catch-up clinic is taking place this Saturday for 12 – 16-year-olds who aren’t fully vaccinated. Parents and carers are urged to book their children’s appointment.

Due to an increase in measles cases across the West Midlands, pop-up vaccination clinics have been set up in the Black Country to help ensure children aged 12 to 16 (Years 8 to 12) are up to date with their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab.

Measles is a highly infectious disease which can lead to serious complications such as severe lung infections and inflammation of the brain. It also damages and suppresses the whole immune system, meaning children can be left much more susceptible to catching other illnesses.

It can spread quickly among communities, particularly schools, if children have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine.

A series of pop-up clinics offering the MMR vaccine are taking place across the Black Country for 12-to-16-year-olds who haven’t yet had two doses.

The clinics are being hosted in Brierley Hill, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell on the following dates:

Brierley Hill: • Fens Pool Community Centre, Tennyson Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 4HY, Saturday 20 January, 9am-1.30pm. To book an appointment call 01384 431712

Wolverhampton: • The Health Hub, Mander Centre, Wolverhampton, WV1 3NH, Saturday 20 January, 9am-2.30pm. To book an appointment call 01902 200077

Sandwell: • Wood Lane Community Centre, Wood Lane, West Bromwich, B709PT, Saturday 27 January, 9am-1.30pm. To book an appointment call 0121 592 1110

Walsall: • South & Central Locality Hub, Birchills Street, WS2 8NF, Saturday 27 January, 9am[1]1.30pm. To book an appointment call 01922 902035

The clinics will be staffed by trained healthcare professionals from the NHS and Vaccination UK who specialise in childhood vaccinations and follow all necessary safety protocols. Parents and carers who are unsure if their child is up to date with their routine vaccinations can also check this at the clinics. Children will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Parents who are unsure if their child is up to date with all their routine vaccinations can also check their child’s Red Book (personal child health record), check the NHS app, or contact their GP practice. For more information about the MMR vaccine, visit the NHS website here.

For more details on the catch-up clinics, read the press release.