New GPPs – foot and walking development

In support of National Feet Week (#NFW 8-14 March 2021), we are delighted to publish two new Good Practice Points (GPPs) for health visitors.

Children’s feet should follow a typical pattern of development, however, these changes are often poorly understood by both parents and health professionals. Health visitors have an important role in helping parents to navigate this information and, to support you in practice, we have produced two new Good Practice Points:

GPP – Foot development in infancy and early childhood

Foot development is important. Changes in the shape, structure and function of feet occur throughout infancy, childhood and into late adolescence. During infancy (birth – two years old), there are rapid changes in foot size and shape. Health visitors should consider healthy feet as key to supporting infants as they begin to stand, learn to walk and explore their world. Understanding about how feet change in size, structure, shape is helpful to convey positive health messages and reassurance where needed

GPP – Overview of walking development in infancy and early childhood

Common concerns around milestones related to walking include whether the development is typical (or not), if the shape and development of the feet are correct, if the infant is walking correctly, and what types of shoes parents should buy to support their infant’s feet during early weight bearing. Through understanding the typical changes that take place during the early years, health visitors can advise parents, offer reassurance and refer for additional support and assessment when it is appropriate.

Also read great Voices blog by Stewart C. Morrison, Reader in Children’s Podiatry, School of Health Sciences, University of Brighton – Thinking about feet….

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members.

So do join us now!

Changing Conversations Stakeholder event and new resources

We are delighted to share news of our Changing Conversations Stakeholder event which took place virtually on 25 February. The event was a great opportunity to showcase our brand new coproduced Changing Conversations Toolkit (with many new resources to support those working with children with autism and their parents) and Changing Conversations Ambassador training.

iHV was supported by the Burdett Trust for Nursing to develop and offer a programme of training for health visitors to be “Ambassadors for Changing Conversation” for children with autism and their families. The training has been co-produced by parents and professionals to support health visitors in their role with families.

The new Changing Conversations resources were presented to all those who were involved in the development of the resources and a wide variety of stakeholders including parents, people with lived experience, Department for Education, NHS England & NHS Improvement, Health Education England, various NHS Trusts, charities working in the sector, and universities. For new resources please see links below for new Parent Tips and Good Practice Points.

The stakeholder event provided a great opportunity to share the resources with such enthusiastic people who have a real passion to improve the lives and life outcomes of children with autism and their families. The next step is for us to work with these stakeholders to look at how we can expand these resources and the awareness session to enable more health visitors to access these, and to consider how we address suggestions for development. These included considerations of how the resources can be tailored to meet your local needs as well as wider audiences including the Early Years workforce.

For updates on the project, do ask your local Changing Conversations Ambassador or contact us at [email protected]

New Resources

Parent Tips

To support the Changing Conversations project, iHV has published a series of new Parent Tips for health visitors to share with parents and families:

PT – Accessing health visiting support for you and your family

All families in the UK with children aged 0-5 years have a health visitor. Health visitors lead the “Healthy Child Programme”. This is a national public health programme to improve the health of babies, children and their families to enable a happy, healthy childhood and provide the foundations of good health into adult life.

PT – Supporting your child’s speech, language and communication development

Speaking, understanding and communicating are important life skills. It may seem that these skills happen naturally. They don’t. Parents have a very important role to play in helping their child’s development.

PT – Using positive statements to guide our children

It can sometimes be hard for parents/carers of children with autism to understand and support their child’s behaviour. This can be frustrating for both the parents/carers and the child. This parent tip offers some simple strategies to support parents/carers to communicate what they would like their child to do.

Good Practice Points

To support the Changing Conversations project, iHV has published a series of new Good Practice Points for health visitors on working with children with autism:

GPP – Supporting families with pre-school children to promote their SLC development when there are signs of autism or learning difficulties

One of the key aims of the Healthy Child Programme (2009) is to support ‘school readiness’, which includes the early identification of children showing signs of developmental delay and those who would benefit from early intervention. Speech, language and communication (SLC) skills are a core part of this and the promotion and review of these skills should be a part of every health visitor contact.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people.

GPP – Transition to School for Children with Complex Health Needs /Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

The key to a successful start at school, for children with complex health needs / SEND, lies in partnership working during preparation, transition and follow up. The number of children with complex health needs / SEND is increasing year on year. 3.3% of all pupils in schools in England have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, a rise from 3.1% in 2019. A further 12.1% of all pupils have SEN support, without an EHC plan, up from 11.9% in 2019.

GPP – Understanding behaviour to support the sensory needs of children with autism

This GPP aims to support understanding of the what’s behind behaviour so that timely advice and support can be offered to families, tailored to the needs of the child. Behaviour, even when it appears different, is always about meeting a need. Everything we do is driven by our needs, which are common to all adults and children. People and children with autism have some additional needs. By understanding underlying behaviours, we can support children to explore their potential and to have their needs met in a different way if their behaviour is harmful or challenging.

Please note that these GPPs are available to Changing Conversations Ambassadors, those they have trained and iHV members.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

New series of 6 GPPs on loss, bereavement and grief for #NGAW20

iHV launches a series of six new Good Practice Points (GPPs) for health visitors on loss, bereavement and supporting families with grief during National Grief Awareness Week (#NGAW20):

GPP – Supporting families experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of an unborn baby

This GPP covers miscarriage, ectopic and molar pregnancy, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly and multifoetal pregnancy reduction (ToPFA) to align with 2 of the 5 pathways in NBCP. This GPP aims to support informed high quality care once a pregnancy loss has already occurred.

GPP – Supporting families experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of an unborn baby

GPP – Supporting families following the death of a baby

The death of a baby is one of the most traumatic and distressing experiences and will inevitably bring about immense pain and grief. Health visitors are an important source of ongoing care and skilled support for bereaved parents in the weeks, months and years following this most tragic and traumatic of experiences. This GPP considers Stillbirth, Neonatal Loss and Sudden Unexplained Death of an Infant (SUDI).

GPP – Supporting families following the death of a baby

GPP – Supporting families following the death of an infant or child (aged 1 to 4 years)

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. The death of a child goes against the natural order we expect life to follow. The longing for the child and the feeling of emptiness can last a lifetime. This GPP considers the support families can benefit from when they lose an infant or child and the processes and issues pertinent for families experiencing such loss.

GPP – Supporting families following the death of an infant or child (aged 1 to 4 years)

GPP – Supporting young children who have lost a parent

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that 1% of children are likely to experience the death of their mother before they reach their 16th birthday. In England and Wales it is estimated that, each year, 7000 children will lose their mother before they reach 16-years old. Within this GPP, we consider how to support young children who have lost a parent or primary carer.

GPP – Supporting young children who have lost a parent

GPP – Supporting a parent when their partner dies

Losing a partner is devastating at any time in life, however the complexity and additional losses that are felt when you have young children can be especially difficult to endure. This can include losing the father or mother of your child, coping with your children’s grief and the pressures of parenting alone; and, combined with financial insecurity, this can be overwhelming. Within this GPP, we consider how to support a parent who has lost their partner following suicide or death whilst parenting a baby or young infant.

GPP – Supporting a parent when their partner dies

GPP – Supporting parents whose own parent (or early attachment figure) has died

Coping with the death of a parent or primary attachment figure is one of the most traumatic and distressing experiences we all face and will inevitably bring about immense pain and grief. Within this GPP, we consider how to support parents who have lost their own parent (or someone with whom they formed their primary attachment relationship with early in life) during the perinatal period and early years as a parent.

GPP – Supporting parents whose own parent (or early attachment figure) has died

Please note that these GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

Updated resources available

We are delighted to share 5 updated Good Practice Points, providing up-to-date evidence and references for our Associate members, and an updated Parents Tip.

Updated GPPs

Updated GPP – Working with families when a Hearing Loss is Suspected

This GPP outlines the principles of hearing loss and key points for HVs supporting families in suspected hearing loss in their child.

Updated GPP – Working with families when a Hearing Loss is Confirmed

This GPP sets out what health visitors need to know about advising parents who have a child with a confirmed hearing loss.

Updated GPP – Sleep and the older Child

This GPP sets out what health visitors need to know on supporting sleep issues in the older child and the importance of doing a thorough assessment to support families.

Updated GPP – Recognising and managing oral thrush in babies

This GPP sets out what health visitors need to know on who may be affected by oral thrush, recognising the signs and symptoms, and the treatment options to support families.

Updated GPP – Managing Reflux

This GPP provides up-to date-evidence and references on the signs and symptoms and treatment options for reflux.

Updated: Parent Tips – How to help if your Baby has Reflux

These updated Parent Tips provide tips and advice for parents on reflux.

Go to Parent Tips – How to help if your Baby has Reflux

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

New GPP resource for members

During Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (#IMHAW2020), iHV publishes a new resource for members – Good Practice Points: Understanding babies who cry a lot.

All babies cry and some cry a lot. Some babies may be sensitive to stimuli such as sound, light or changes of environment. Some babies may seem scared or anxious and want to be held and cuddled most of the time.

This Good Practice Point sets out what health visitors need to know about supporting and working with parents to help them understand babies who cry a lot. It provides up-to-date evidence and references.

Go to GPP Understanding babies who cry a lot

If you would like access to this new GPP and our other member resources, please join us to get access to these and also to book your place on our new iHV Insights webinar sessions – the next one is being held on 18 June on the subject of Domestic Violence and Abuse.

So do join us now!

More new iHV member resources launched this week

Working in a pandemic has brought many challenges to both families and the health visiting service – but, unsurprisingly, the health visiting service in many areas has risen to these challenges with great professionalism, developing many innovations and workarounds to ensure that children and families receive the support that they need.

But you can’t pour from an empty cup and it is still important for health visitors to have time to reflect and learn during this pandemic which may continue for many weeks. To help you, we are pleased to publish today a bundle of five fabulous Good Practice Points, as well as hold our first virtual online iHV Member Event tomorrow (Thursday) on “COVID-19 in children and managing minor childhood illnesses”.

As a Centre of Excellence, the Institute supports the development of universally high quality health visiting practice so that health visitors can effectively respond to the health needs of all children, families and communities, enabling them to achieve their optimum level of health, thereby reducing health inequalities. To achieve our aim, we are constantly working to improve and develop benefits for our health visitor Associate and Student members, and our Friend members who work closely with health visiting services.

We know through feedback from our membership surveys that our Good Practice Points (GPPs) are the resources most valued by our members. We try to write Good Practice Points that are relevant to health visitors and where there might be gaps currently. We write GPPs with the help of authors that are experts and informative, give the evidence base and enable health visitors to be better equipped in their clinical practice.

Good Practice Points (GPPs) are available for members of the iHV; and Parent Tips (PTs) are available to parents who access our website or via health visitors sharing them – we work with parents to develop our Parent Tips.

New resources

Today, we are pleased to publish a selection of new GPPs to support our members in practice. These are:

GPP - Enhancing maternal recovery following caesarean birth

GPP - Managing Cradle Cap

GPP - Working with parental substance misuse (illicit drugs)

GPP - Atopic eczema in children from birth up to the age of 12 years

GPP - Helping parents and carers manage children’s behaviour

Any new GPP/PT Topics or would you like to be involved?

We would really love to hear from you if you have any specific topics that you think would benefit from having a GPP and/ or PT created, or if you would like to write a GPP or PT, or if you would like to be involved in our peer review process. Peer reviewers look at all GPPs and PTs during our production process and we feed their comments back to the author.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like to find out more about getting involved or with your thoughts and ideas of new GPPs and PTs.

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

New Good Practice Points on Supporting children with Down’s syndrome

The iHV is delighted to share two new Good Practice Points providing up-to-date evidence and references for our members.

Many thanks to our expert parent panel who have offered their advice to health visitors working with families with children with Down’s syndrome in these GPPs.

These two new Good Practice Points were developed in partnership with parents with children with Down’s syndrome who are “experts by experience”: Colette Lloyd, Angie Emrys-Jones and Pippa Cusack; and health visiting advisor Karen Afford. Infant feeding advice was provided by Sarah Edwards from the Breastfeeding Network.

Go to GPP - Supporting children with Down’s syndrome and their families

Go to GPP - Supporting children with Down’s syndrome: growth, feeding and development

Please note that these GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

Updated Healthy Weight Health Nutrition resources

We are delighted to share updated Good Practice Points and Parent Tips, published in support of our updated Healthy Weight, Healthy Nutrition training programme.

Updated Parent Tips

(advice to share with parents and families)

Updated GPPs

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only. Electronic versions of these updated Good Practice Points (providing up-to-date evidence and references for our members) are available to our members on the links below – do remember to sign in to access them:

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

Updated mental health GPPs for #iHVPIMH19

iHV is delighted to share updated Good Practice Points (providing up-to-date evidence and references for our members) in support of our multi-agency Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Conference taking place tomorrow, Tuesday 10 September in London.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter! Conference is being held in collaboration with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. If you were not able to get a ticket before they sold out, please do follow the day’s conference proceedings on the hashtag #iHVPIMH19 on Twitter!

Printed copied of these updated Good Practice Points (GPPs) will be available to conference delegate members tomorrow – so do pop along to our Training & Resources stand to pick up your copy.

Electronic versions of these updated documents are available to our members on the links below – do remember to sign in to access them:

Go to GPP - Understanding Mothers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing (updated August 2019)

Go to GPP - Understanding Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing (updated June 2019)

Go to GPP - Engaging with Fathers (updated August 2019)

Go to GPP - Postnatal Psychosis (updated August 2019)

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

So do join us now!

iHV Fellow presents on International Fathers’ Mental Health Day

On International Fathers’ Mental Health Day (#DadsMHDay) 2019, we are delighted that one of our iHV Fellows, Sharin Baldwin, presented at the Talking Dads conference in Blackpool today – organised by the Blackpool Centre for Early Child Development.

Sharin Baldwin RN, RM, RHV, QN, FiHV, iHV Research Champion, BSc (Hons), PG Dip, MSc, NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, King’s College London Clinical Academic Lead, Nursing and Midwifery, London North West University Healthcare Trust

The Talking Dads Conference brought together a national audience of fellow practitioners, academics and volunteers to discuss the importance of Dads in early years, with leading national experts, including Sharin, in the field of early child development providing a national and international perspective on the innovative work surrounding the role of Dads, and that of men’s mental health and wellbeing.

Updated resource

In addition on #DadsMHDay, we are pleased to share updated resources from Sharin for health visitors:

UPDATED GPP – Understanding father’s mental health & wellbeing during their transition to fatherhood

These updated GPPs set out what health visitors need to know about Understanding Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing during their transition to parenthood. As part of every contact, HVs should routinely enquire about fathers’ mental health and wellbeing, and offer appropriate support and advice to fathers, as well as mothers.

They provide updated evidence and references.

Go to GPP - Understanding father’s mental health & wellbeing during their transition to fatherhood

iHV PIMH Conference – Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter!

Why not join us at our forthcoming annual Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Conference where we are delighted to announce that Sharin will be speaking.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Relationships Matter! is being held on 10 September in London – bookings are now open and we do expect tickets to go quickly – our last two conferences have been sold out!

Book your place at our PIMH conference today - don't be disappointed!

About Sharin

Sharin is a trained nurse, midwife and health visitor. She is a keen advocate for health visiting and her research interest is Mental Health and Wellbeing of Fathers, an area that is fairly neglected. She is currently undertaking a PhD in this area (www.newdadstudy.com) at King’s College London and is the first health visitor to be awarded a Clinical Doctoral Fellowship by NIHR.

Sharin also works as Clinical Academic Lead in London North West Healthcare Trust. She is a Queen’s Nurse, Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), iHV Perinatal Mental Health Champion and Health Visitor Research Champion. She has co-authored a book chapter titled ‘Working in Diverse Communities’ in a health visiting text book. Sharin has published several research papers in reputable professional journals and is a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Nursing Studies, Primary Health Care Research and Development, Midwifery and the Institute of Health Visiting. Sharin is also on the editorial board for the Journal of Health Visiting.

https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/sharin.1.baldwin.html