Social capital and community development in child health

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health curriculum for community child health says trainees should ‘be aware of the literature on social capital and community development in relation to child health and well being’. Both social capital and community development are concepts that are far removed from the core knowledge set of most paediatricians. This short review will attempt to plug this gap in knowledge by defining and discussing both concepts and suggesting why they may be useful in paediatric practice. We briefly review the literature on social capital and community development (or engagement as the terms are used interchangeably) in relation to child health and wellbeing and offer a practical summary for how this can be applied to practice for those working in community and hospital settings.