The national Health for Kids awards, presented in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, is an excellence programme that rewards good practise for projects and initiatives throughout the UK that have made a real difference to child health.

There is much coverage in the media about the health of our children, the lack of health in our children, the future health of our children etc. There is little or no coverage of the innovative and effective work that many thousands of people in our communities are doing to help our children live happier, healthier lives.

Whilst great emphasis has been put upon individual issues such as child obesity the health of our children is in fact a far wider issue. We read everyday of children who suffer through bullying, turn to drink and drugs or those suffering with low self esteem due to the stress modern day life. This is also combined with issues surrounding children’s safety - be it in internet chat rooms, on our streets, or in the home.

Health for Kids awards encompasses all of these issues together with the more widely publicised ones surrounding healthy eating and exercise and encourages entries from all initiatives helping children learn the value of their health.

Child health improvement initiatives for children and young people up to 18 years of age are eligible to enter for an award. The awards are completely free to enter and entries are invited from nurseries, schools, colleges, PCTs, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, sport and leisure associations, community groups or individuals - anyone working with children between the ages of 2 -18 years.

The winner of each category is selected by a panel of expert judges from organisations such as the British Heart Foundation; Sport England; Youth Sport Trust; British Nutrition Foundation; Child Accident Prevention Trust; Metropolitan Police Safer Schools Partnership; Department of Children Schools and Families, the Home Office; Food Standards Agency; Healthy Schools teams nationally; The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and many others.

The 2009 programme is organised in association with the Food Standards Agency; Healthy Schools teams throughout the UK*; Clubs for Young People; and the Royal Society of Health.
To enter click here.

*National Healthy Schools Programme (a joint Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families initiative); Welsh Assembly Government's Wales Network of Healthy Schools; Part of the Scottish Executives’ Health Scotland division.