23rd February 2015
Over 700 health visitors are expected to benefit from brand new resources developed by the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) when they attend one of four free regional professional iHV conferences taking place in early 2015.
The new resources for health visitors have been developed as part of the Making the Most of Health Visitors programme which is run by the Institute of Health Visiting, sponsored by Health Education England and endorsed by Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Director of Nursing, Health Education England.
Dr Cheryll Adams, director of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “We are delighted to be able to share the resources from this very important development programme called Making the Most of Health Visitors. We set out to build confidence in the future of our profession by delivering high quality and consistent support to health visitors, so that they can make a difference to the health outcomes of children, families and communities.
“Our aim is to help develop the health visitors of the future by helping to recruit and retain the best possible health visitors; sharing best practice; and providing easy access to support and training for health visitors to develop professionally.”
At the professional conferences, health visitors will be introduced to several new education and training tools, such as:
- National standardised Induction and Preceptorship frameworks
- Quality-assured CPD Framework – phase 1 focused on the 6 high impact priority areas and the Healthy Child Programme
- Compassionate Resilience toolkit to ease the everyday challenges of practice
- Regional online hubs to share best practice and local resources
- A professional e-Community of Practice Evidence Hub
- A new career framework for health visitors
- A new learning and educational directory.
Dr Adams continued: “These resources will help develop our profession and, for many health visitors attending the professional conferences, this will also be a unique opportunity for many to connect with the iHV for the first time.”
The first conference was held at the end of January at Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands and received very positive feedback with comments such as:
“I enjoyed all of today, all working collectively towards the same goal. The institute is like a community, working together and sharing. Feeling empowered as a newly qualified HV.”
“Enjoyed the strengthening Health visiting into the future needs and opportunities talk. All presentations were enjoyable and very relevant to the HV role.”
“Excellent conference – enjoyed it all. Well-structured and relevant.”
“Thoroughly informative and motivating day.”
“So great to see so many people championing the HV profession.”
“Interesting and thought-provoking new ideas.”
“Fantastic – a very valuable class full of real feel of what health visiting is for me. Without compassion there is no nursing profession.”
“More days like today please – more research masterclasses and regional support groups to meet up and share practice and reflect and restore each other.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact: Julie Cooper, communications and marketing manager at the Institute of Health Visiting on 07508 344716 or[email protected]
Notes to editors
About the four iHV regional professional conferences
Each regional professional conference will:
- Develop the health visitors of the future, building confidence in the profession
- Equip and inspire health visitors as leaders of change and integration
- Focus support to health visiting embedded in family and public health
- Provide evidence-based practice for health visitor leadership and deliver evidence-based practice for improved health outcomes for children and families
- Evaluate the impact of effective health visiting leadership
The remaining regional professional events take place:
| Date | Region | Venue |
| Fri 27 February 2015 | South | MacDonald Berystede Hotel & Spa, Ascot |
| Tues 10 March 2015 | North | Royal Armouries, Leeds |
| Thurs 19 March 2015 | London | QEII Conference Centre, London |
Programme includes:
- National speakers
- Opportunity to discover the essential tools the iHV has produced for health visitors’ professional development and support through the Making the Most of Health Visitors* programme
- Selection of Masterclasses
- Marketplace to learn and share
- Networking with professionals within the field
- CPD certificate of attendance
- Refreshments during the day including lunch
About the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV)
- The Institute of Health Visiting is A UK Centre of Excellence supporting the development of universally high-quality health visiting practice. It was launched on 28th November 2012 to promote excellence in health visiting practice to benefit all children, families and communities.
- The aim for the iHV is to raise standards in health visiting practice, so improving public health outcomes for all children, families and communities.
- For more information go to www.ihv.org.uk
- Follow the Institute of Health Visiting on Twitter @iHealthVisiting and Facebook
