HOW WELL ARE HEALTH VISITORS PREPARED FOR THEIR ROLE IN CHILD PROTECTION?LESLEY HUNT
ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER FOR LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN
NHS LOTHIAN
INTRODUCTION
•Background to the study
•Study
•2015-where are we now?
STUDY BACKGROUND
• Own education & professional experience
• Role of the health visitor in child protection
• Policy Landscape (2012)
STUDY
• Small, qualitative study
• Literature review
• Sample
• Semi structured interviews
• Analysis - Colaizzi’s procedural steps
• Themes: 5 themes, 9 subthemes
WHAT IS IT LIKE?
Doesn’t reflect the knowledge I think one needs for the
day to day job
Awareness was very much
raised that we have a role to
play
There was very little child
protection there
Huge discrepancy between what academia
propose as a public health nurse course and
the role that actually exists..
I was totally and utterly ill-equipped for that role
HOW DOES IT FEEL?
It’s quite satisfying…I feel ownership..glad
I was there
You feel very inadequate as a
professional
You can feel frightened..and actually quite
angry
I don’t enjoy it..if I didn’t
have to do it, I’d be really
happy
..the feeling of being overwhelmed..fear, anxiety
Dread. Fear. Panic.
WHAT HELPS?
•Education & Training: Self - directed learning, Masters
study. Effective training refreshes, refocuses and
motivates
•Supervision: helpful for challenging cases
•Support: Different sources - HVs, Child Protection
Advisors, other involved professionals, friends
WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS?
•Training & Education: Limited funding & time
constraints
•Supervision: Time consuming, managerial tool
•Support: Newly qualified HVs don’t feel well enough
supported
•Role: Has changed. Imbalance between health and
child protection
WHAT ARE THE KEY CHANGES NEEDED?
•Education: Specific child protection module/s
•Supervision: More often, group supervision
•Support: More support for newly qualified
health visitors
•Role clarity
SUMMARY OF STUDY (2012)
• Focus over 30 years-procedures and processes rather than
skills and knowledge
• Study-limited research available. Small but promising start
into exploring this subject.
• Study- HVs felt unprepared academically & in practice
• Newly qualified HVs felt particularly unprepared
• Role lacks clarity
Where are we now? Aare We Now?
PROGRESS IN 2015?
Scottish Government 4 year
HV Programme (2014)
Children & Young People (Scotland)
Act, 2014
Local NHS changes (2015)
CEL 13 Scottish Government
(2013)
THANK YOU! ANY QUESTIONS?
READING LIST
• Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
• DH (2011), Health Visitor Implementation Plan 2011-2015: a
call to Action, London: Department of Health
• Scottish Government (2013), CEL 13: Public Health Nursing
Services-Future Focus, Edinburgh: The Scottish Government
• Scottish Government (2014),
http://news.scotland.gov.uk/news/500-new-health-visitors
READING LIST (2)
• Scottish Government (2015), Children and Young People (Scotland)
Act 2014: Draft Statutory Guidance for Parts 4, 5 and 18 (Section 96),
Edinburgh: The Scottish Government
