Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have undertaken further study at masters level to become registered health visitors.
Normally Health Visitors visit the family home to tackle health inequalities and deprivation. They work to stop children and families becoming vulnerable or at-risk.
Thanks to a new partnership, Cummings Park Nursery now hosts a health visitor on site at their early learning and childcare setting in the Northfield area of Aberdeen ensuring that families have access to the advice and support they need, when they need it.
According to Kathryn Kerr, Health Visitor,
“Observing the children in the nursery enables me to regularly and informally assess their development and progress. By spending more time with each child and getting to know them individually, I can collaborate with both the nursery staff and parents. This teamwork helps us establish a strong support system where needed to support the child and their family both at home and nursery helping them to reach their full potential.”
By being on site at the nursery Kathryn has managed to foster trusting relationships which have been nurtured through nursery team. This has helped build and strengthen parental confidence and promote parents’ trust in their own decisions about child and family health.
“I’ve noticed that it has become easier to form therapeutic relationships with families,” explains Kathryn, “especially those who were previously difficult to engage with. Parents now appear happier and more comfortable meeting with me in the familiar setting of the nursery. They often come in for a chat, or we catch up during drop-off or pick-up times. They seem to be more receptive to advice particularly when it’s given in a more informal way which has a positive impact for the children.”
Having the Health Visitor on site has been a great help to the Team at Cummings Park, for instance they can identify and provide effective early support to children and young people much earlier and they can get involved with Personal Plan meetings with children and families who have more complex needs
The Service Manager, Amy Simpson, explains,
“Working closely with the health visitor has meant that we are able to support families together and be able to refer children to other agencies sooner as the health visitor is on site to see the children more in the setting. Families that may need support at home are able to meet with myself and the health visitor at the setting as well as at home reducing waiting times and improving outcomes.”
“When new children start at Cummings Park, the Health visitor is able to provide us with a detailed background of the family’s needs that can help us to provide the best possible support from their first day until it’s time to leave for primary school.”
One parent told us,
“Having Kathryn based at the nursery makes it easier to see my child without having to try and squeeze a visit in at home, it is also nice that she can see how he is getting on at nursery and if there is anything she can also speak with yourselves.
According to the children:
“She plays with us.”
“She gives us hugs.”
“I like when she is here.”