CHIS Social Value: Making every contact count across the Greater Manchester Baby Bank Network
Child Health Information Services (CHIS) partners with Home-Start to provide early health essentials for families experiencing hardship across the Greater Manchester Baby Bank Network.
Challenge
Greater Manchester (GM) is home to more than 210,000 children under five - including 33,000 babies under one - with 26% living in low-income households. Babies born into poverty are more likely to experience inequalities that can affect their early development. This creates considerable barriers to good health in the early years and throughout life.
Home-Start is a UK-wide charity dedicated to supporting families in need. In GM, the charity leads and coordinates a network of baby banks, helping to ensure parents and babies have access to essential needs.
There are over 10 local voluntary sites across GM that provide practical support to families by supplying essential items like clothing, nappies, prams, cots, and Moses baskets. This eases the financial pressure on parents and helps nurture safe, supportive environments, giving children the best possible start in life.
What we did
There is a nationally recognised concern regarding children’s oral health in the UK. Evidence shows that one-third of five-year-olds living in the most deprived areas have experienced tooth decay, which can affect their long-term health. Oral health is identified as a key focus area in the children’s Core20PLUS5 health inequalities model.
In early 2025, CHIS partnered with Home-Start to help improve oral health across GM by providing essential toothbrushing items through the baby bank network.
Through the CHIS Social Value fund, we provided 4,237 Oral Health packs, each including a toothbrush, toothpaste, timer and brushing guide. Our support didn’t stop there - we also supplied 667 beaker cups to encourage hydration, 1,500 UKHSA vaccination information leaflets, and 1,000 GP registration guides for families.
These essential resources, bundled into Moses baskets distributed throughout GM, give parents and carers access to vital information and practical tools - all designed to support healthy starts for children.
Activity
Child Health Information Services
Promoting children’s health and wellbeing
Health improvement and inequalities
Boosting equitable access to health promotion initiatives, including effective oral health practices and vaccination programmes
CHIS Social Value
Promoting healthy starts for children where it’s most needed, beyond their contracts
Impact
By providing essential items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste widely, it enables families in need to build healthy oral hygiene habits early on. The inclusion of public health leaflets ensured that every contact was meaningful, helping parents stay informed about potentially life-saving childhood vaccinations.
The baby bank model also supports environmental sustainability by encouraging the reuse and sharing of goods, helping to reduce waste. It gives direct support to families experiencing difficult circumstances, including poverty, domestic abuse, homelessness, or limited access to public funds by recycling and repurposing resources.
CHIS is proud to collaborate with organisations such as the Greater Manchester Baby Bank Network, whose efforts address health inequalities and provide sustainable family support - showcasing our joint commitment to healthier starts, environmental responsibility, and strong communities.
Get in touch
If your organisation shares our mission and operates in our service regions, complete our short application form to access CHIS Social Value, or book a discovery call with
