New for 2026! iHV Practice Awards

The Institute of Health Visiting is delighted to announce the addition of two new award categories to its annual Health Visiting Awards. The new awards for ‘Health Visitor of the Year’ and ‘Health Visiting Team of the Year’ will celebrate excellence and acknowledge innovative, courageous and inspiring examples of professional practice within health visiting.

Entries are now open for the iHV Practice Awards 2026 – read on to find out more about the award categories, the awards ceremony and how you can enter this year.

Get your submissions and nominations ready to be in with a chance of winning a nationally recognised award. Shortlisted finalists will be invited to the Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday 6 October 2026 – where the winners will be announced, including runners-up awards.

The Awards event will bring together the health visiting community, alongside senior leaders, national stakeholders and dignitaries, to celebrate the brightest talent in the profession whose innovative and proactive work impacts on babies, children, families and communities across the UK. At this special event, we will also be conferring awards to iHV Fellows, Honorary Fellows, and a new Health Visiting Lifetime Achievement Award.

Each award category is designed to recognise and celebrate the achievements of those who have made an outstanding contribution to our profession – driving best practice, transforming care, improving outcomes and demonstrating excellence in health visiting – providing well-deserved recognition for individuals and teams who are truly exceptional.

The iHV Awards celebrate innovation, perseverance and incredible work across the breadth of health visiting in practice, education, leadership and research.

Alison Morton, iHV CEO says:

“Every day, health visitors and their teams make a profound difference to the lives of babies, children, families and communities across the UK – often in ways that people remember for a lifetime and without expecting any recognition or reward. It is time to celebrate that brilliance which is often hidden from sight.

“With these new iHV Health Visiting Awards, we’re shining a spotlight on the skill, dedication, expertise and compassion that so often goes unseen across the breadth of health visiting. I encourage health visitors and teams to step forward, share their impact, inspire others and let us celebrate the excellence that defines our wonderful profession.”

Find out more and how to submit

iHV awarded Silver BJN Award for Invisible film

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is delighted to share that our Innovation and Research Team won the Silver Award at the British Journal of Nursing (BJN) Awards for their work around our film Invisible, which shines a light on fathers’ mental health. This was in the ‘Nurse/Nursing Team of the Year’ category and the only entry involving public health nurses/ health visitors, so we are really thrilled!

Dr Sharin Baldwin (Senior Health Visitor Research Lead, iHV) and Hilda Beauchamp (Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Lead, iHV) attended the Awards at BMA House in London on Friday 20 March 2026. The BJN Awards celebrate excellence in research and practice while recognising outstanding achievements across the nursing community.

From left: Dr Sharin Baldwin and Hilda Beauchamp

It is such a proud moment to receive this recognition, and we are delighted to have our work acknowledged at such a high-profile event. It highlights the importance of the subject at the heart of Invisible — the often overlooked emotional and mental wellbeing of fathers during the perinatal period – and the growing acknowledgement of fathers’ mental health as an important public health issue.

From left: Dr Sharin Baldwin and Hilda Beauchamp

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Burdett Trust for Nursing for funding this vital work. Their support has enabled us to bring greater visibility to an issue that too often remains hidden. We also acknowledge the exceptional contribution of creative director and producer Chris Godwin (Founder and Creative Director, Inner Eye Productions), whose thoughtful and sensitive approach was instrumental in shaping the film.

The film was grounded in the research carried out by Dr Sharin Baldwin, exploring men’s experiences in the transition to fatherhood. Alongside Sharin’s research, Invisible was shaped by interviews with practitioners, researchers, fathers, and parents from diverse backgrounds, whose experiences and insights brought depth and authenticity to the film.

We will be conducting a full evaluation of the impact of the film one year following its launch, so please watch the film and complete this short evaluation form INVISIBLE Film Feedback Form – Fill in form.

Watch the Invisible film here

Sharin said:

“This recognition is incredibly meaningful, not only for our team but for the fathers whose experiences shaped my research. Invisible was created to bring attention to this overlooked aspect of perinatal mental health, and this award helps amplify that message, highlighting the importance of recognising and supporting fathers as an integral part of family wellbeing.”

Hilda said:

“The iHV is extremely proud of Invisible and of the growing impact it is already having. We have already incorporated it into our Fathers’ PIMH Training programme where it is reaching multi-agency audiences. We would encourage all practitioners, services, educators and partners to watch Invisible, share it within their networks, and use it as a conversation starter to support improved awareness and practice around fathers’ mental health.”

To support your practice, please enrol on a future iHV Fathers’ PIMH Training (see here) or for further details contact [email protected]

Together, we can help ensure that no father remains invisible.

iHV 2026 Awards now open!

iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2026
iHV SCPHN-Health Visitor Lecturer Award 2026

We are delighted to announce that applications to the 2026 iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award and the iHV SCPHN-Health Visitor Lecturer Award are now open.

These Awards recognise the amazing contribution of both SCPHN student health visitors and SCPHN-health visitor lecturers in leading activities that improve outcomes for babies, children and families.

This year’s Awards are linked with the annual iHV Leadership Conference in December 2026. Submissions will be accepted from current student and associate iHV members. To make a submission please see the relevant requirements and notes:

iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2026 – for full details and requirements download the flyer here
iHV SCPHN-Health Visitor Lecturer Awards 2026 – for full details and requirements download the flyer here

Read about the 2025 iHV Award winners here.

Listen to the iHV podcasts: the 2025 iHV Award winners speak with Amanda Holland, iHV Education, Learning and Development Lead, on their incredible work – listen here.

Latest date of submissions: 5pm, Friday 21 August 2026

The winners will be notified early October 2026. Both Awards* include a complimentary ticket to the iHV Leadership Conference in London, December 2026, where the Award winners will be invited to present their examples and accept an iHV Award and certificate.

*The Awards cannot be transferred for an alternative prize or money, it is specific to the named award winners and the conference date. The Award does not include travel or accommodation expenses.

Innovation and Research Team shortlisted for national nursing award

The iHV Innovation and Research Team has been shortlisted for the British Journal of Nursing Awards 2026 in the Nurse of the Year category, in recognition of their work creating the film ‘Invisible’ and advancing public health nursing by addressing fathers’ perinatal mental health.

The iHV Innovation and Research Team

The shortlist recognises individuals or teams that demonstrate excellence, innovation, and impact in nursing practice. Created to shine a light on the often-overlooked mental health challenges faced by fathers during the perinatal period, ‘Invisible’ combines research evidence with lived experience to tell a powerful and emotionally resonant story.

The film has been widely viewed across the UK and achieved global reach – as well as being embedded in training for professionals to support more inclusive, family-centred approaches to perinatal mental health. The film’s far-reaching impact includes use by organisations supporting families overseas. These include SSAFA (the Armed Forces charity), where the film has helped open conversations about parental mental wellbeing and embed mental health as part of everyday family life for Armed Forces families living abroad. Read more here.

‘Invisible’ has also achieved significant recognition beyond health and nursing settings, having been officially selected for the Crystal Palace International Film Festival. This represents a major milestone, as it means the film qualifies for consideration for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), reflecting the quality, impact, and wider cultural relevance of the work.

The British Journal of Nursing Awards ceremony will take place on 20 March 2026, bringing together nursing teams from across the UK to celebrate outstanding contributions to the profession. Being shortlisted for a national award by the British Journal of Nursing is a significant achievement and reflects the dedication, creativity, and impact of the Innovation and Research Team’s work.

The full shortlist is available on the BJN Awards website.

Watch Invisible here

iHV announces SCPHN Student HV and SCPHN Lecturer Award winners

Celebrating Excellence in Health Visiting – iHV announces the SCPHN Student Health Visitor and SCPHN Lecturer Award winners 2025

The Institute of Health Visiting is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award and the SCPHN Lecturer Award!

These prestigious Awards honour outstanding contributions to health visiting — recognising both the dedication of students embarking on their professional journey and the inspirational educators guiding them.

The iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2025 is awarded to students whose service innovations demonstrate leadership in action to strengthen the quality of service provision for babies, children and families.

We recognise how studying to become a registered SCPHN health visitor can be exciting, daunting and challenging. However, the commitment to improve outcomes for babies, children and families acts as an important drive during what can be the most demanding period of a health visitor’s career. The contribution that student health visitors make is really incredible.

It gives us great pleasure to announce this year’s award winners of the iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2025.

Huge congratulations to:

1^st place – Mary Donnelly, Ulster University
2^nd place – Olivia Farley, Manchester Metropolitan University
3^rd place – Mel Hanson, University of Derby

Thank you to all those who submitted to the Award. The judging panel enjoyed reading all submissions, which were of a high quality. We extend our thanks to 2023 – 3^rd place runner up, Robin Williams, for joining the panel of judges again this year.

The iHV SCPHN Lecturer Award 2025 is awarded to a lecturer who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in strengthening the quality of education provision for SCPHN health visiting students.

It gives us great pleasure to announce that this year’s award has gone to:

Jennifer Kirman, Associate Professor and SCPHN health visiting and school nursing lead at Oxford Brookes University.

Jennifer Kirman, Mary Donnelly and Mary’s practice assessor have been awarded complimentary tickets to the iHV Leadership Conference on 3 December in London where they will present their work and receive their Awards.

Find out more about the iHV Leadership Conference and book your place

Read on to find out how the Awards winners reacted to the news of winning an Award and what it means to them:

Mary Donnelly, student at Ulster University – 1^st place

Mary Donnelly

” I am absolutely delighted to have received the Award – it still feels surreal! My work highlighting health risks for migrant families has shown me how vital the SCPHN role is in supporting vulnerable communities. I hope this recognition provides a platform to raise further awareness of these needs. I’m so grateful to my assessor for reminding me that students can drive meaningful change, and I’m really looking forward to attending the iHV Leadership Conference to learn from others and celebrate the difference we can make together!”

Wendy Mallon, Lecturer and Course Director for the SCPHN Pathways, Ulster University

Wendy Mallon

“I am delighted that Mary has been awarded first prize in the iHV Student Awards. Mary has demonstrated a commitment, passion and innovation in SCPHN practice and her academic studies over the duration of the programme. She is displaying leadership skills and specialist knowledge in identifying children and families who are among the most vulnerable in communities in order to address health inequalities and improve health outcomes. Well done Mary.”

Olivia Farley, student at Manchester Metropolitan University – 2^nd place

Olivia Farley

“Hearing that I had been awarded second place for the Student Health Visitor iHV Award was an incredibly proud and humbling moment. This recognition means so much to me, it reflects my commitment to evidence-based practice, compassionate family support, and the values that underpin the role. It has strengthened my determination to continue advocating for children and families, and to contribute meaningfully to our profession as I progress in my career.”

Mel Hanson, student at the University of Derby – 3^rd place

Mel Hanson

“I was truly honoured and humbled to have been recognised with an Institute of Health Visiting Student SCPHN award for my work in promoting equitable care in health visiting. When I first heard the news, I was honestly overwhelmed, not just for myself, but for the families and communities who inspire this work every day. This recognition means so much because it reflects something bigger than me: the importance of making sure every baby, every parent, and every family receives fair, compassionate, and culturally responsive care.

To be acknowledged by the iHV in this way strengthens my commitment to continue advocating, educating, and pushing for systems where no one is overlooked or left behind. This is a moment I’ll treasure forever, and a reminder that when we lead with purpose, courage, and heart, real change happens.

Here’s to continuing the work to champion inclusion, ensuring every baby and family receive the care they deserve.”

Jennifer Kirman, Associate Professor, SCPHN health visiting and school nursing programme lead, Oxford Brookes University – iHV SCPHN Lecturer Award 2025

Jennifer Kirman

“I was overjoyed when I received the email. I couldn’t quite believe that I had been awarded first prize. The changes I have made to the programme reflect the current context of the health-visiting workforce and post-pandemic higher education landscape. At a time when we need more health visitors, it is vital that the SCPHN programme is accessible to people who might feel unable to access higher education, given the time-consuming and costly nature of travel, as well as the need to manage study around caring responsibilities. I am delighted to have been recognised for this work to widen participation to our profession.”

Learn more about this year’s award winners and their amazing innovations in an iHV Voices blog due to be published at the end of November. Winners are also meeting with Amanda Holland, iHV’s Education, Learning and Development Lead, to record a special series of podcasts. More information on this coming soon.

We will soon be launching the iHV Awards 2026 – more information coming soon.

Your work and dedication deserve to be recognised!

“When hard work meets recognition, it triggers happy emotions and empowerment” Monika Kwoka, student health visitor at Canterbury Christ Church University

Apply to the iHV Student & Lecturer 2025 Awards before it’s too late! (closing date 22 August)

The iHV Student and Lecturer Awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase your achievements and be recognised for your contributions to health visiting and improving outcomes for babies, children and families.

We encourage you to nominate yourself or a deserving colleague for this award. Your hard work is appreciated and we, at the iHV, want to see talented students and lecturers recognised. Don’t be afraid to put yourself forward, we know you have a lot to offer!

Following the success of the Student Awards in 2023 and 2024, we are delighted to launch the 2025 Awards. In addition, we are excited that the new Lecturer Award is making its debut this year.

SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2025 – for full details and requirements download the flyer here
SCPHN-Health Visitor Lecturer Award 2025 – for full details and requirements download the flyer here

What did past winners of the Student Award say?
Nicola Taggart, a student health visitor studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, won 1^st place in the 2024 student award. Nicola developed an initiative to promote children’s speech and language. On winning the award Nicola said:

“I feel extremely grateful to have received the iHV Student Award. The Little Library has been not only a project, but my passion over the last year, and I am delighted that the award panel have recognised its value and impact in promoting children’s speech and language development. I look forward to sharing the message at the iHV Leadership Conference and, hopefully, encouraging more Little Free Libraries across the country”.

Nicola Taggart

Nicola’s lecturer, Karen Hughes, said they were thrilled:
“As a team we are thrilled because we believe we are preparing and equipping the MMU students to not only be ready for their new professional roles, but also filled with passion for health visiting and compassion for people and ready to be determined leaders who will champion health visitors and lead the way forwards.”

2^nd place went to Rutendo Tafangombe, a student health visitor studying at Birmingham City University, who was ‘over the moon’ at receiving the award.

Rutendo Tafangombe, SCPHN student health visitor, Birmingham City University

Monika Kwoka a student health visitor at Canterbury Christ Church University won 3^rd place – “I am truly honoured and grateful to receive 3rd place for this year’s SCPHN student award. When hard work meets recognition, it triggers happy emotions and empowerment”.

Monika Kwoka, SCPHN student health visitor, Canterbury Christ Church University

In 2023 Leonie Grundy, won 1^st place in the student award, for her initiative to promote safe sleep. Leonie told us “I am absolutely thrilled to be the winner of the iHV SCPHN award at the start of my career in health visiting. It is a privilege, and I am excited for a long and purposeful career.”

Claire Black who won 2^nd place said “When I received the email informing me that my abstract had been awarded 2nd place, I was so pleased. Being able to share this recognition for the amazing teamwork involved in supporting the Afghan families was fantastic.”

Joint 3^rd place award winner Robin Williams told us “I am ecstatic to be a recipient of the first SCPHN award as I have read many of the Institute of Health Visiting reports and articles. I find the information available through the IHV to be evidence-based, current, and easy to read, understand and apply. I am totally ecstatic and grateful for this SCPHN Award!”.

Jane Guy, also joint 3^rd place award winner said “I feel very proud and excited to have been awarded joint third place, thank you. My trust are very keen for me to take my initiative forward, so it is a very exciting time, especially so close to qualifying.”

Read more about the iHV SCPHN Student Health Visitor Award 2024 winners here.

If you’re interested but not sure whether to apply, contact Amanda Holland who would be delighted to meet you online for an informal chat: [email protected]

Latest date of submissions: Friday 22 August 2025, 5pm

The winners will be notified early October 2025. Both Awards* include a complimentary ticket to the iHV Leadership Conference in London, 3 December 2025, where the award winners will be invited to present their examples and accept an iHV Award and certificate.

*The Awards cannot be transferred for an alternative prize or money, it is specific to the named award winners and the conference date. The award does not include travel or accommodation expenses.

iHV – a Supporting Partner of the APF Awards 2025

iHV is thrilled to be a Supporting Partner for the Active Pregnancy Foundation (APF) Awards 2025, celebrating the individuals and organisations championing safe and active pregnancies across the UK.

Alongside the Institute of Health Visiting, this year’s supporting partners also include Active Partnerships, CASES, CIMSPA, the College of Medicine, This Girl Can, The Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP), and ukactive – all of whom share the APF’s mission to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant and postnatal women through movement and education. Each Supporting Partner plays a vital role in shaping inclusive and evidence-based practices across their respective sectors.

The Awards

The APF Awards celebrate the champions of active pregnancy—recognising individuals, organisations, and communities who have gone above and beyond to support and empower women to stay active before, during, and after pregnancy.

The APF Awards will honour excellence across 14 awards in four distinct categories: People, Places, Products and Programmes. Shortlisted nominees for the prestigious Women of the Year and Product of the Year awards will go forward to a public vote, allowing communities to celebrate and champion those making a difference.

The Awards take place on 6 June 2025 at 10 Union Street, London, and will bring together leaders from healthcare, sport, and community initiatives. The Awards will shine a light on leadership, good practice, innovation, and research because together we recognise that pregnancy is an opportunity to influence not only women’s health, but also that of their families and wider communities.

Sally Kettle, CEO of the Active Pregnancy Foundation, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome such an inspiring and influential group of Supporting Partners to this year’s APF Awards. Their commitment to women’s health, physical activity, and inclusive care aligns perfectly with our values. With their support, we can shine a spotlight on the incredible work happening across the UK to support active pregnancies, from grassroots initiatives to national leadership.”

Vicky Gilroy, Director of Innovation and Research, Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) added:

“Health visitors are key to supporting women’s wellbeing throughout pregnancy and beyond. We’re proud to support the APF Awards in showcasing the compassionate, person-centred care being delivered across the country.”

Find out more about the AFP Awards

0-19 Yorkshire and Humber Community of Research Practice wins prestigious NIHR award!

iHV is delighted to announce that the 0-19 Yorkshire and Humber Community of Research Practice (CRN) has won this year’s NIHR CRN Yorkshire and Humber Research Award for “Best Contribution in a non-NHS Setting”.

The iHV has been collaborating on this exciting project with the 0-19 Yorks and Humber CRN since 2020. The project aims to support and increase participation in research, as well as increasing research engagement and capacity. This project builds on the work of the 0-19 Yorks and Humber CRN, which was first established in 2013. With funding and support from NIHR CRN Yorkshire and Humber, the team has been able to develop 0-19 Research Champion roles alongside providing a programme of networking events to support new and aspiring researchers. The project is led by the inspirational Louise Wolstenholme who is the 0-19 Lead for Research (Education & Development) & Health Visitor at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and programme management support is provided by Victoria Jackson, Senior Programme Manager at the iHV. Other partners include the School And Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA), Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, and Leeds Beckett University.

This well-deserved award is a reflection of the hard work, commitment and expertise of all those involved in the project today, as well as those who were involved in establishing the CRN from the start.

If we are serious about improving the health of babies, children, young people and their families – and reducing ever widening health inequalities – we need to transform services using the best available evidence of ‘what works’. This requires more 0-19 research! The CRN is leading the way and inspiring new researchers to embark on exciting careers in research. As a lead partner, we are proud that the project has been recognised for its success in building research capacity in the 0-19 workforce.

Louise Wolstenholme responded to the award:

“Attending the CRN Awards ceremony and hearing that we had won the category for best research contribution in a Non-NHS setting was really exciting. All the project team have been very committed in ensuring the success of the 0-19 Research Network in Yorkshire and Humber and it feels exceptionally rewarding to be recognised in this way. Success would not have been possible without the valuable contributions from all the organisations involved, it really has been a joint venture. The trophy will be well travelled by the time it has visited all the partners across the region and wider! Importantly, we hope that this acknowledgement continues to place emphasis on the importance of researching the needs and informing care delivery for babies, children, young people and their families.”

See Tweet announcing the winner

In other news, the 0-19 Yorks and Humber CRN and project team has also been shortlisted for the Nursing Times Awards which takes place in the winter, so watch this space.

Huge congratulations to everyone involved – these achievements are fabulous recognition for all your hard work!

To find out more about the network and its work please visit the iHV webpage to learn more

iHV SCPHN Student Awards – enter today!

REVISED SUBMISSION CRITERIA

We are very excited about our new award open to specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) health visitor students who are iHV members. This is an award linked with the annual iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference.

To make a submission students are invited to prepare a 350-word abstract showcasing an innovation in practice. Please note, to simplify the application process, posters are no longer required as part of the submission – the winning entry will be invited to give a short oral presentation (using slides if preferred) at our EBP conference in September.

Each Higher Education Institution (HEI) providing the SCPHN education programme is invited to submit a maximum of 2 submissions, depending on the size of their existing SCPHN HV cohorts. Each student submission would need to be supported by an academic and practice assessor or supervisor

The award has been developed to celebrate new talent joining the health visitor workforce and showcase new ideas for service provision. Details of the award can be found here and on the flyer below. To discuss ideas please contact: [email protected]

Please submit your details and abstract here.

Latest date of submission: Friday 30 June 2023 – so, if you are a SCPHN HV student or work with a SCPHN HV student, don’t miss out on this great opportunity to showcase your/their work!

Requirements:

The student submission must be made using the iHV submission form to be accepted for entry. This details:

Name of HEI and Department providing the SCPHN-HV programme and declaration of cohort size
Full name, contact details and signature of the student
Full name, contact details and signature of the supporting academic and practice assessor or supervisor
Title and written abstract prepared by the student (max 350 words)
Disclaimer confirming the submission is the student’s own work and has not been submitted elsewhere

The abstract should:

Present a practice innovation designed to strengthen the quality of service provision for babies, children and
families.

Download flyer for full details and how to apply

Well done Janine!

We are delighted that one of our members, Janine McKnight-Cowan, won the RCN Community and General Practice Nursing Award at last night’s RCN awards.

Janine, from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, won the award for developing a tool to help health visitors explain to new mothers who’ve had a C-section as to why it’s important to take it easy.

She also presented her Five Guide for health visitors enhancing C-Section recovery on a poster at our evidence-based practice conference in May this year

As Janine says:

‘Five guide is so simple. For every lady who has a caesarean this has to be communicated. It is transferable for all health visitors, midwives and others. I now want to get this out as a national standard.’

Many congratulations Janine!

Find out more about all the RCN winners