Tags: policy

New opportunity with iHV – Policy and Quality Lead

New and exciting opportunity with the Institute

Are you:

  • A leader in 0-5 public health policy and practice?
  • Passionate about the potential of improving babies, young children and their families’ outcomes through a strengthened health visiting service and greater emphasis on evidence-driven prevention and early intervention?
  • An excellent communicator, motivated by presenting the evidence needed to inform change?

If yes, then come join us. This is an excellent opportunity to join the iHV as our Policy and Quality Lead to support the further development of our policy and quality functions, and particularly to support the Executive Director and wider team activity.

This is a senior position at the iHV and the successful applicant will have a track record of policy development, managing change and quality improvement, with experience of managing and coordinating public health projects and building strong collaborations with stakeholders. As the Policy and Quality Lead, you will have a central role in developing and delivering the iHV policy and quality portfolio, including further development of the iHV Vision for health visiting. You will work in a matrix way across all the departments at the iHV and with external stakeholders to ensure that we achieve our policy and quality objectives.

Candidates must have at least a masters in a relevant area. You will apply your expertise and knowledge of preventative public health and the policy environment to accelerate progress of the potential within health visiting to address key questions in health inequalities and health improvement for population health (with a focus on babies, young children and their families). You will have significant personal drive and be able to demonstrate that you are passionate about improving the lives of children and families.

The post will suit candidates who have worked in government/the charity sector supporting the development of policy, as well as experienced health visitors and those who have a portfolio of additional skills including research, quality assurance and supporting local or national policy development.

Applications close: 8am Monday 29 March 2021
Interviews: Thursday 1 April 2021

For further details, job description and application form

iHV responds to Children’s care crisis

iHV responds to Local Government Association (LGA)’s analysis on children’s social care, published today, which calls for Government to use the upcoming Spending Round to fully fund the demand on children’s services next year to allow councils to provide the vital support that children and families rely on.

Severe funding shortages and huge demand pressures mean councils were forced to overspend on their children’s social care budgets by nearly £800 million last year in order to try and keep children safe, the Local Government Association reveals today.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director iHV, commented:

“The Institute has long warned that more children entering safeguarding procedures and care would be an inevitable consequence of cutting preventive services such as health visiting which identifies needs in families early, mobilises support for families in need and reduces long-term negative consequences of late identification for these children, such as safeguarding issues and care proceedings. These new figures should be of concern to the whole population as, as well as negatively impacting on the child his/herself and their potential future, these high levels of vulnerable children impact crime rates and criminal justice budgets and increase demand on the NHS from complex health needs.

“One in three health visitors has been lost over the past 4 years and the imposition of unhelpful new ways of working makes it impossible for the profession to adequately offer the necessary long term support that some families need. Alongside the LGA, we also call on the Prime Minister and Treasury to use the upcoming spending review to reinvest into public health, preventative and children’s services. The economic arguments are clear.”

Read LGA article: Children's care crisis: councils forced to overspend almost £800m on children's social care

iHV delighted to announce new Director

The Institute of Health Visiting is delighted to announce the appointment of their first Director, Alison Morton, who joined the Institute today as Director of Policy and Quality.

Alison Morton, Director of Policy and Quality iHV

 

 

Alison was one of the Institute’s first five Fellows. Her most recent role has been as Best Start in Life Programme Manager at Public Health England.

 

 

 

Alison commented:

“I am delighted to be joining the Institute at a time when the spotlight is once again shining on the importance of the first few years of a child’s life as a foundation for future health and wellbeing. The evidence is clear that investing in early intervention and prevention is the right thing to do if we are serious about wanting every child to achieve their potential. Yet there remain persistent, unacceptable inequalities in outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities, as well as unwarranted variation in support for children and their families dependent on where they live. These inequalities result in poorer physical and mental health, academic achievement and employment prospects throughout the life-course.

“Whilst it can be tempting to invent a ‘new wheel’ when faced with a complex set of problems across society, I strongly believe that the health visiting service provides a crucial part of the ‘solution’ for a number of government departments who fund late intervention.  Crucially, the evidence highlights the key role that the health visiting service plays in leading the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme (0-5 years), in partnership with a wide range of other agencies. I look forward to working with health visitors throughout the country and partners working in maternity and early years, as well as government departments, to strengthen the health visiting service and ensure that every child truly does have the ‘Best Start in Life’.”

2 new and exciting opportunities with the Institute

We are delighted to share 2 new opportunities with iHV:

  • Director of Policy and Quality
  • iHV Practice Development Lead

Director of Policy and Quality

The iHV is seeking to appoint its first Director to take responsibility for the further development of our policy and quality functions, whilst supporting the Executive Director and wider team activity.

The successful applicant will be educated to Doctoral level, or equivalent academic/professional leadership experience, and will have a strong track record of leading policy and quality initiatives, as well as of budgetary management and contracting.

Applications close: 9.00 am, Monday 14 January 2019

Interviews: Tuesday 22 January 2019 (please hold this date in your diary if applying)

For further information or an informal conversation about this post please contact Dr Cheryll Adams, [email protected]

For more information and how to apply

 

iHV Practice Development Lead

The iHV is seeking to appoint a lead officer for practice development, working across the whole organisation and with the expectation that one day a week will be allocated to supporting iHV training functions.

The postholder, will have minimum of a master’s degree and a strong education and practice development background.

Applications close: 9:00am Friday 11 January 2019 

Interviews: afternoon on Monday 21 January 2019 (please hold this time in your diary if applying)

For further information or an informal conversation about this post please contact Dr Cheryll Adams [email protected] 

For more information and how to apply

iHV welcomes DHSC focus on prevention

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, has outlined his vision for the future health and care system.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director, iHV said:

“The Institute very much welcomes this long overdue focus on prevention.  We hope that it is understood that effective prevention starts at the start of life or earlier.  Investing then can ensure a much healthier population who stand a much better chance of realising the Minister’s ambitions. We hope that this vision therefore will be accompanied by new investment into health visiting, national standards for best practice and a ring-fenced budget.”

The document sets out the government’s vision for:

  • stopping health problems from arising in the first place
  • supporting people to manage their health problems when they do arise

The goal is to improve healthy life expectancy by at least 5 extra years, by 2035, and to close the gap between the richest and poorest.

Go to DHSC Policy paper - Prevention is better than cure