HALE provides a range of services and activities designed to help children and adults at risk, as well as assisting those who work with them.  We provide innovative and creative programmes and approaches for working with those at risk, as well as prevention and promotional initiatives of benefit to the health, welfare and education of the wider population.

This includes direct assistance and technical assistance, in order to provide a range of supports for stimulating and upholding developments in health, education and social care in countries and regions that require help.

HALE is about:

•  Challenging assumptions, values and priorities, so that a fairer and more just society is created.
• Improving health and well-being through using a whole person approach.
• Learning lessons across settings, topics and countries about what works well and disseminating these.
• Encouraging the participation and involvement of those who are excluded from the social,political and economic benefits of society.
• Promoting positive risk taking as important for the development of children and young people as creative and independent persons.
• Supporting the rights of vulnerable adults and older people, their informal carers and professionals to take risks to secure a better quality of life and better quality of care.
• Promoting health and welfare, as well as early intervention and the prevention of problems.
•  Respecting and supporting people’s diverse strategies for managing their personal welfare and coping with difficulty and stress.
• Facilitating the creative talents of those are socially and politically excluded, or disadvantaged.   

Our activities include:

• Developing the knowledge, skills and capacity of children and adults at risk, and those of their formal and informal carers
• Community development and participatory activities
• Provision of health information to children and adults at risk, and to their formal and informal carers
• Interpretation of international goals, targets and indicators
• Development of policies and strategies at national and regional level
• Design and application of tools and approaches designed to support policies and strategies
• Needs assessments, reviews and mapping of developments in each country and region
• Facilitation of meetings for planning and discussion
• Setting up mechanisms and activities to facilitate the sharing of experiences and mutual learning between and within countries
• Provision of specially tailored guidance and advice
• Training, education and skills building with vulnerable children and adults, and with health, welfare and educational professionals
• Encouraging links with other international programmes, projects and initiatives
• Developing the evidence base and transferring lessons about what works between settings and between countries.

1. HALE works in close partnership with funders, policymakers, service providers, educationalists and trainers, and community and user groups, to establish supportive relationships for achieving agreed goals, linked to international and locally agreed targets and indicators. For example, partners will be encouraged to review their capacities and identify the main obstacles and barriers to progressive developments, and to fashion a strategic response for overcoming these, where appropriate.