Health visitors set for every children's centre
Katy Morton
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Every children's centre will have access to a named health visitor, as part of a move to recruit 4,200 health visitors by 2015 to offer families with young children improved help and support.
Public health minister Anne Milton launched the Health Visitors Implementation plan last week to address concerns that some health visitors feel undervalued, and to reinforce the importance of the relationship between children's centres and health visitors.
Under the new plan, all families will be able to access a full range of services including:
- - health and development checks delivered through the Healthy Child programme
- - support and promotion for services set up by families and communities
- - rapid response expert help for problems such as postnatal depression
- - ongoing support as part of a range of local services working together and with disadvantaged families to help those with more complex, longer-term issues.
Ms Milton said, 'Health visitors play such an important role - they give families that vital extra bit of support they need in their children's early years. We need more of them so they can reclaim their role in the heart of our communities and at the centre of family life.'
Unite, the union, which has campaigned since 2005 against the decline in the profession, has welcomed the introduction of the Health Visitors Implementation Plan.
Unite's lead professional officer Obi Amadi said, 'We plan to work with ministers to see this through to its conclusion and beyond the 2015 target date. Achieving this number will require a real effort by all concerned, but we think it can be done.'
