how well are health visitors prepared for their role in child protection?
TRANSCRIPT
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