Health visitor facts for kids

Health visitors are special healthcare professionals who work to help families and communities stay healthy. They mostly work in countries where the government helps pay for healthcare. Unlike district nurses, who give medical treatment at home, health visitors focus on giving advice and support to make sure families live in healthy and safe ways.

What Do Health Visitors Do?

Health visitors help people keep their homes clean and healthy. They also give advice on how to take care of themselves and their families, especially children. They visit families in their homes to offer support and guidance to people of all ages.

A very important part of their job is to protect people who might be at risk, especially children. Health visitors are often the first experts to visit homes where someone might need help or protection. For example, they do a special check when a child is two years old to make sure they are developing well. If they think a child might be in danger, it's their job to start the process to get help for that child.

Besides helping young children, health visitors also run programs to promote good health. This can include giving advice on how to stop smoking or helping with vaccination programs. Many health visitors are part of a professional group called the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association.

How Health Visiting Started

The idea of health visiting began a long time ago, when many people in cities lived in crowded and unhealthy conditions. This led to many illnesses. At first, some business owners sent women to workers' homes. These women taught families, especially mothers, about keeping clean and eating healthy food. The main goal was to help families with young children. They would visit regularly to check on a child's development and give advice on hygiene, food, and general care. If there were problems, they would offer solutions or report them to the right people.

The role of health visitors became more official in 1862 with the start of the Ladies Sanitary Reform Association. By 1890, some local councils even began paying health visitors.

Health Visitors in the Early 1900s

The job of health visitors became even more important after some new laws were passed, like the Notification of Births Acts 1907 and 1915, and the Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918. These laws allowed local governments to create services for mothers and children. This also led to the first training courses for health visitors. By 1929, local councils officially hired health visitors. Since 1974, they have worked for the National Health Service, which is the UK's public healthcare system.

After World War II

After 1945, health visitors in the UK had to be Registered Nurses or Midwives. They also needed extra training to work as part of a team that provides basic healthcare.

In the 1950s, their role grew to include helping people of all ages, from babies to the elderly and those with long-term illnesses.

In 1962, a new law created the Council for the Training of Health Visitors (CTHV). This council helped make sure health visitors received proper education and training.

Health Visiting After 1997

During the time of Prime Minister Tony Blair, health visitors had more and more families to help. This made it harder for them to give as much support as needed to young families. So, their work was focused more on young families again. This meant they spent less time helping elderly people.

When a program called Sure Start was created to help young families, many health visitors started working from these centers. In 2009, a plan called the Healthy Child Programme was published. This plan guides the services families receive, dividing them into two age groups: children from birth to 5 years old, and children from 5 to 19 years old. Once a child starts school, school nurses usually take over their care and welfare from health visitors.

In 2010, the government promised to hire more health visitors. This was to make sure they didn't have too many families to look after. The government also changed how the NHS worked, giving local councils responsibility for public health again. This means local councils now work with other health groups to plan and pay for health visitor services.

How Many Health Visitors Are There?

In 1977, there were 10,623 health visitors in the UK. By 2015, there were 12,292 in England and Wales. This was an increase from 10,046 in 2000.

In 2000, there were about 297 children under 5 years old for each health visitor. This number went up to 419 children per health visitor in 2011.

Training for Health Visitors in the UK

When health visiting first became an official job, training in the UK was managed by the Royal Sanitary Institute. This group later became the Royal Society for Public Health. Later, the government's Ministry of Health took over the training. Today, health visitors are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

To become a health visitor, you first need to be a qualified nurse or midwife. After that, you complete a special one-year full-time (or longer part-time) degree or master's course.