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LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN

Music Class

This page is for anyone who has an involvement with or responsibility for 'looked after' children. Usually, this includes:

  • Foster carers

  • Residential workers

  • Support staff and associated managers

  • Family/ friends carers

  • Family support worked

  • Independent review officers

  • Prospective adopters

  • Looked After Children nurses.

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There are over 93,000 children in the UK in care and are considered a particularly nutritionally vulnerable group. It is important that these children receive adequate nutrition, as their access to adequate health care has been found to often be poor, and there is considerable evidence that as adults these children have an increased vulnerability to ill health. Nutritional status, which is well evidenced to be able to protect against ill health, is therefore particularly important amongst this group of children. This is further compounded by findings suggesting that it is not unusual for these children to have received inadequate nutrition in their early life. Find out why nutrition is so important during childhood here.

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It is thought that between one in ten and one in five children in care are from a minority ethnic group; highlighting the importance of catering for different cultural and religious dietary needs. 

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allergens

Cater easily for those who are gluten-free or lactose intolerant, as well as children with specific food allergies

school meal

culture

The Nutmeg Looked After Children program includes the value of the average school meal into each weekday, to help achieve the most accurate menu plan

Identify dishes which are halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan to ensure that nutritionally balanced menus are provided for children with cultural dietary requirements

individual choice

Ensure that children requiring inclusion or exclusion of certain foods still receive a nutritionally balanced menu

The information displayed on this page has been taken from NICE guidelines and government websites

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