This webinar is on Thursday 16 October 2025 (join from 3:15pm to allow a prompt start) 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

This is open to all iHV members.

Join us for the next iHV Insights – where we will explore why it is important for health visitors to ask parents and carers about alcohol use, drawing on national data, evidence and policy.

Health visitors are uniquely placed to make a difference in the lives of babies, children, and families. Asking about alcohol use can feel like a sensitive topic, but it is one of the most important conversations we can have.

Why?

Because alcohol can affect not only parental health, but also family relationships, child development, and long-term wellbeing. By opening up these conversations with curiosity and compassion, health visitors can identify needs early, offer timely support, and help create safer, healthier environments for babies and children to thrive.

Our expert panel includes:

• Professor Lesley Smith, who will provide an overview of the evidence and policy landscape
• Jayne Walker, who will share practical insights into the opportunities and barriers practitioners face in addressing alcohol use with parents. Jayne will also present an update on the NIHR-funded PARENT study (DeveloPing an Alcohol Risk rEduction pathway with pareNts and health visiTors), which explores the health visitor’s role in delivering alcohol advice within the early years.

Attendance at this event and engagement with the iHV reflection template will support you with demonstrating CPD activities that align to the NMC Standards for Proficiency for SCPHN health visiting.

The webinar will be recorded and will be available after the event on our website to iHV members who are unable to join the webinar live.

Live booking places are limited so please do book early to avoid disappointment!

How to book

Log in with your iHV member email address and password.

Please note: when you log in you’ll be redirected to the iHV homepage. Simply return to the iHV events webpage to find and book your event.

Once you are viewing this page logged in, the “Register now” button will appear when you click on “Booking Link (click to reveal)“

We are delighted to welcome all iHV student members to the next SCPHN Student Health Visitor Network Event on 21 October at 3:30pm, particularly those who have recently begun their studies.

Welcome to the beginning of your new careers, working in this wonderful profession, making a difference to the health outcomes of babies, children and families. Studying to fulfil your aspirations of a becoming a NMC registered health visitor may seem daunting and so far away, but time will fly. Your learning journey may be bumpy at times – but you’ve got this – and we’ve got lots of resources and events to support you throughout your learning journey and beyond.

The event offers a safe space to network with peers across the UK and to discuss and share your experiences, along with opportunities to enhance your knowledge and practice.

To support you with settling into your roles we will be discussing:

Top Tips:

• for looking after yourself throughout your studies
• for planning and managing the demands of the SCPHN programme

Networking – you’re not alone:

• there will be time to network with peers across the UK
• share ideas and tips
• stay connected

If you are not a member of the iHV don’t worry, you can sign up today!

Student membership with the iHV will support you throughout your studies and beyond!

How to book

Log in with your iHV member email address and password.

Please note: when you log in you’ll be redirected to the iHV homepage. Simply return to the iHV events webpage to find and book your event.

Once you are viewing this page logged in, the “Register now” button will appear when you click on “Booking Link (click to reveal)“

Our call for iHV Evidence-based Practice (EBP) Conference 2026 abstracts is now CLOSED!

Abstract submissions for our iHV Evidence-based Practice 2026 Conference “From Evidence to Action: Getting it right from the start” which will be held at Bournemouth International Conference Centre on 6 May 2026 are now closed.

Babies and children’s health and wellbeing has seen a concerning decline in recent years, with children in the UK having some of the worst health outcomes compared to other similar nations. Health inequalities are widening, especially for those living in more deprived neighbourhoods where the poorest babies and children have the worst outcomes.

Early childhood is important as it lays the foundation for lifelong health and without meaningful intervention now, we are on course for a generation of adults facing serious health challenges. Improving our babies and children’s health will take comprehensive effort across all of society.

Innovation, research and new ideas will be critical to driving the change that is needed. And we know that health visiting teams and researchers across the UK are leading the way with so much great work taking place to improve outcomes for babies, children and families.

Join us to celebrate and spread excellence in practice:

• Help spread your learning with others facing similar challenges.
• Maximise the impact of your work on a bigger scale. Submit an abstract to present at our EBP conference in 2026.

Connect with other local, national, and international experts, who will be sharing their latest developments in practice, innovation, and research to improve the health and wellbeing of babies, children, families and communities.

What are the benefits of presenting at the iHV conference?

It’s an excellent opportunity for you to:

• Raise your own profile as a speaker at a UK-wide conference
• Raise the profile of your organisation and showcase your work
• Connect, collaborate and learn from other practitioners working in the field of health visiting and family public health
• Add your experience of presenting to your CV and boost your career

What are the presentation opportunities for accepted abstracts?

• A plenary keynote presentation – oral presentation in the main hall (and live-streamed to online delegates), followed by involvement in Q&A panel.
• An oral concurrent presentation – oral presentation in one of our concurrent streams, followed by involvement in Q&A panel (note: selected concurrent sessions in the main hall will be live-streamed).
• A breakout oral presentation (a 4-minute speed talk) – strictly time-limited presentation delivered in one of our breakout sessions – provides an opportunity to extend the reach of your work, but in a concise form (note: selected breakout oral presentation session in the main hall will be live-streamed).
• A poster presentation (for display in the exhibition hall) – posters are a visual display of material and are particularly suited to the presentation of data, project design and findings. Presenters are on hand to facilitate discussion with delegates during the break times.

Click here for more information about the 2025 iHV Leadership Conference and to see the full programme

This year’s annual iHV Leadership Conference ‘Leading Health Visiting: Creating the future’ will be held on Wednesday 3 December 2025 at The King’s Fund at No.11 Cavendish Square, London.

Our annual health visiting Leadership Conference has become the highlight of the health visiting calendar, providing a forum to learn together, share excellence and hear the latest policy, practice and research.

This year’s iHV Leadership Conference brings together health visiting practitioners and leaders from all four corners of the UK. What unites us is our shared ambition to ensure that all babies, children and families are supported to thrive. We also share similar challenges, with a ‘burning platform’ for change to build better services, designed to tackle the poor state of child health and unacceptable inequalities in families’ access to healthcare, experiences and outcomes across the UK.

Our carefully selected programme this year is centred on four key pillars of leading change through:

• Getting it right from the start – better services by design
• Leading health visiting policy across the UK
• Workforce matters
• A focus on child development – supporting all children to thrive

Each keynote session features a fantastic line up of high-profile speakers and we thank all of them for prioritising their time to share their expertise with us. We are delighted to be hosting a Chief Nursing Officer/Chief Midwifery Officer (CNO/CMidO) panel again, representing the four UK nations, with:

• Duncan Burton | Chief Nursing Officer, England
• Karen Jewell | Chief Midwifery Officer, Wales
• Caroline Keown | Chief Midwifery Officer, Department of Health, Northern Ireland
• Sonia Glendinning | Nursing Officer, Department of Health, Northern Ireland
• Awaiting | Scotland Representative

The panel will be discussing their strategies for health visiting and strengthening professional leadership.

Some of our prestigious speakers also include (but are not limited to):

• Sally Hogg, Associate Director, Programme and Impact, The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood: ‘Working together to shape the future: driving shared understanding and action on what matters most for babies, young children and their families’
• Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive Sands: ‘Getting it right for bereaved parents and families’
• Felicity Gillespie | Chief Executive, Kindred Squared: ‘Starting reception’
• Alison Morton | CEO, Institute of Health Visiting; ‘Leadership in Health Visiting’
• Dr Karen Whittaker, Senior Education and Workforce Lead, Institute of Health Visiting: ‘Advanced Practice’

Options

Join us in-person:

You will get to enjoy the exceptional facilities at The King’s Fund in the heart of central London, with the opportunity to connect with practitioners and health visiting leaders from across the UK. You can meet our exhibitors in the break times and enjoy the very best of London in the festive season.

Unable to join us in person:

You can still join us online and be part of the conversation from the comfort of your own setting through live streaming and interactive real-time Q&A to influence the discussions.

Whether you join us in the heart of London or from the comfort of your home, you can expect a truly enriching and connected experience.

Click here for ticket options and booking details

Extra discounts and concessions are available for iHV members, iHV Fellows, early booking and group bookings. Our Early Bird offer ends on 2 October 2025.

We hope you can join us!

Go to our Leadership Conference website to find out more