The ‘Principles of Health Visiting’ were first formally described in 1977 by the Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors (CETHV). The process to develop and agree these principles spanned an eight-year period, involving a large section of the profession. Educators discussed the meaning of the phrase ‘principles and practice of health visiting’ at length. They wanted to clarify the underlying principles of health visiting to inform education, so students could gain the depth of understanding needed to encourage flexibility and adaptation to new circumstances.
The results of the investigation provided a framework to organise the knowledge and skills required for health visiting practice. There was agreement across the profession that health visiting is implemented by using four enduring processes, presented as four ‘process statements,’ which are collectively known as the ‘principles of health visiting.’
These are:
- The search for health needs
- The stimulation of an awareness of health needs
- The influence on policies affecting health
- The facilitation of health-enhancing activities
The principles are focused on health promotion, they provide an integrated framework, not a list of competences or skills, and they are all underpinned by a particular value and view of health. Together, they provide a framework that became a touchstone for continuing development, and the term ‘the principles of health visiting’ became shorthand for summarising the underpinning values, skills and process involved in practice. Following further widespread professional discussion, updated versions of the principles document were published in 1992 and 2006, to demonstrate their continued relevance, application to contemporary health needs and current research. (Access 2006 document, with earlier references, here: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/268281796.pdf ).
Current ‘Standards of Proficiency for specialist community public health nurses (SCPHN)’ in the UK are developed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and are available here.
NMC Standards for education and training – Part 3: Standards for post-registration programmes are available here.
See iHV ‘Health Visiting in England: A Vision for the Future’ – our policy blueprint for health visiting published in 2019.
Who we are
iHV has produced infographics setting out “Who are health visitors and what do they do?” and “It’s time to invest in health visiting because…”.
The infographics showcase the multitude of ways that health visitors support thousands of families every week, providing a vital infrastructure of support. When sufficiently resourced, the health visiting service provides an important part of the solution for multiple cross-government department priorities for children.
Also watch our short film: Health visiting in your community.