I was inspired to train as a Health Visitor because of the tremendous support and encouragement I received from my own Health Visitor after my daughter was born. My earlier career was in hospital-based nursing, however I’ve been a Health Visitor for over 12 years now and I still believe strongly that the conversations we have with new parents can make a huge difference to their self-belief. We can help with practical parenting skills and making family life with young children happier and less stressful.
Health Visitors have a privileged role, engaging with parents one-to-one in their family home. We’re here to listen to their worries and concerns in an open way, often building trusted relationships over time. For us, being connected into the ecosystem of early years support is important, because if we don’t know the answer we want to put parents in touch with someone else who can provide that timely help they require. Working with Thrive at Five helps us to meet more parents in Bentilee and Abbey Hulton and access more resources to support them.
Managing the challenge of the pressure on health services
Health Visiting services are under pressure, like every part of the NHS. The current service contract in Stoke-on Trent comprises 6 universal mandated contacts; an antenatal visit offer, an appointed new birth visit at home by a Health Visitor to new parents and their baby and a further appointed home visit to complete a 6-8 week review. There is then a 3-4 month offer, followed by appointed development checks at 9-12 months and 2 years 3-6 months. That’s great if everything’s going well, but experience and research tell us that maternal mental health can take a real dip around three to four months after a child is born and there are many other bumps in the road that can be very challenging and stressful for parents of young children to navigate.
There is some capacity for our Health Visitors to provide additional targeted support but ideally we would truly love to have more frequent and regular contact with everyone.
However, our resources are too stretched to consistently follow up and check in, making it difficult to monitor progress effectively.
Some families are unsure about engaging with us and it takes time and patience to build trust. This is one area where our relationship with Thrive at Five is crucial. We work closely with the Thrive at Five Parent Connectors, who regularly see parents and children at local Parent, Baby and Toddler groups. This helps make our team of Health Visitors more aware of families that may value extra visits or need extra support.
Collaborating to strengthen the early years support system
Thrive at Five’s Parent Connectors are trusted peers who have great relationships with parents and their children. They know how Health Visitors can help parents, so they can encourage them to engage with us and reassure them about our approach and experience.
Thrive at Five invite myself and my colleagues to attend community events alongside informative and educational events. I recently presented at the ‘Parents Thriving’ event which they hosted in Stoke-on-Trent with an audience of professionals and families from across the city. As part of the Thrive at Five community we can reach more people through these well-organised, resourced and publicised activities.
In partnership with Thrive at Five, where we can potentially see up to 30 families per session. Drop-in sessions are far more accessible to families, as they are not tied to a specific appointment time and the session also has the potential for a much bigger reach in comparison to the 9 appointment slots we previously were able to offer at the same venue. With Thrive at Five’s support, we’ve secured a regular room booking, with the facilities we need, so people always know where we are. Thrive at Five is spreading the word about this through its network of early years groups and contacts, so more parents can make the most of the opportunity to see a Health Visitor.
A trusted, sustained partnership where everyone has a voice
I’m passionate about MPFT’s Health Visiting service and about supporting families in this area, where I’ve lived and worked for many years. Thrive at Five shares my commitment – rolling up sleeves and getting involved with practitioners and professionals who deliver a range of services to work with and support our families, rather than telling people what to do. I’m delighted that Thrive at Five has listened to and helped to amplify the messages that I want to convey – early recognition and intervention alongside the building of trusted relationships is key in empowering families and helping children to thrive and achieve their full potential.
Solving public health issues is rarely a quick fix. We need to act together to invest in the future of our children and continue to refine this sustainable approach to supporting families. As a Health Visitor working with Thrive at Five, I believe that our collaboration is strengthening our families and community for the future and I have confidence that this will continue.