This Mum Moves project set to expand

More women* across the nation are set to benefit from being physically active during and after pregnancy, as ukactive and Sport England announce the results of the This Mum Moves pilot project and plans for its expansion.

This Mum Moves was created to support women to continue to enjoy and benefit from an active lifestyle ‘during pregnancy and after childbirth’ by enabling and upskilling healthcare professionals to confidently promote and provide advice around physical activity within routine pre and postnatal care.

ukactive launched the project in 2018 alongside several national partners, supported by National Lottery funding and Sport England.

During a three-year pilot, This Mum Moves worked with NHS trusts in Sheffield, Sunderland, Plymouth, Cambridge, and Bexley, to deliver training to more than 400 healthcare professionals.

An independent evaluation by the Centre for Sport, Physical Education and Activity Research at Canterbury Christ Church University showed that following This Mum Moves training:

85% of healthcare professionals were ‘committed’ or ‘highly committed’ to apply what they had learned into practice.
81% felt confident to start a conversation with women about physical activity during and after pregnancy.
76% of healthcare professionals ‘often’ or ‘always’ provided physical activity advice to women during and after pregnancy.
97% of healthcare professionals said they would recommend This Mum Moves training to a friend or colleague.

Following the piloting of training materials and resources, ukactive and Sport England have established a sustainable model which now will be taken forward by project partners, The Active Pregnancy Foundation and the Institute of Health Visiting.

The offer will also be expanded to wider workforces, including fitness professionals, recognising that conversations by healthcare professionals have the potential to open doors to discussion across organisations, and in consultation with other professionals.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said:

“We want to ensure every pregnant woman and new mum has access to support about being active during this time, so it’s great to know This Mum Moves is helping healthcare and fitness professionals to deliver it.

“Our findings show This Mum Moves is helping to build the knowledge, confidence and motivation for healthcare professionals to have these conversations with women, so that more mums feel supported to be active for the health of mother and child.

“We are excited to see the Active Pregnancy Foundation and Institute of Health Visiting grow this model and reach more communities.”

Frances Drury, Head of Activation at Sport England, said:

“During a period of enormous change – like pregnancy and becoming a new mother – being active is very important, as it boosts mental and physical health at a time that can be very challenging.

“Physical activity can be an effective means of reducing rates of postnatal depression among other conditions. But we know that 74% of pregnant women and new mums have safety concerns in relation to being active – and 64% would be encouraged to continue or to take up activity if they were given guidance or encouragement by a healthcare professional.

“We are delighted that This Mum Moves is expanding to enable more healthcare professionals to support more pregnant women and new mothers.”

Dr Marlize De Vivo, CEO of The Active Pregnancy Foundation, said:

“Physical activity is not simply a tick box at the antenatal booking appointment, it is a means to an end, with the potential to address many pregnancy problems including gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain, high blood pressure problems, and postnatal depression, to name but a few.

“This will not only reduce costs and increase capacity within the maternal care system but also improve women’s quality of life.

“While healthcare professionals have a crucial role in the dissemination of information, we also know that engaging women in active lifestyles requires systemic change and interprofessional collaboration.

“We are therefore excited to be involved in upscaling this project and rolling the offer out to other workforces, including allied and fitness professionals.”

Victoria Gilroy, Head of Projects and Evaluation at the Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“Physical activity has significant benefits for women and their families’ quality of life. Working together to raise awareness in the wider workforce, with those who come into contact with pregnant women and new mothers, is key to ensuring that consistent and timely advice can be offered at all contacts.

“We are delighted to be able to continue developing this important work in partnership with The Active Pregnancy Foundation.”

To find out more about This Mum Moves programme click here.

*Where referring to ‘women’ and ‘mothers’, this should be taken to include people who do not identify as women but who are pregnant.

Upcoming Training Dates:

24 May 2022, 09:00-13:00
21 September 2022, 09:00-13:00
Cost: £150.00 (no VAT)

This Mum Moves (TMM) Ambassador Training is a half-day training event that will equip professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to discuss physical activity during pregnancy and after childbirth.

The training is delivered live via Zoom and will provide learners with access to a digital toolkit to support conversations and further learning. It will also provide participants with the resources to facilitate the promotion of physical activity, including cascade and promotional materials. This training has been accredited by the CPD Standards Office and equates to 3 CPD points.

Find out more and how to apply

Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassadors Training

In support of World Autism Acceptance Week 2022 (28 March – 3 April), we are delighted to tell you about our fantastic upcoming training opportunity for you to become a Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassador.

The aim of the programme is to equip you to be Ambassadors for Changing Conversations when supporting families when they have concerns that their child may have autism.

This is a hosted event, and you will have the opportunity to network and share practice with HVs from other areas and organisations. The training is suitable for qualified health visitors with an interest in neurodiversity and supporting parents of autistic children. You will also be offered the opportunity to receive additional training to support you to:

share your learning with your health visitor colleagues.
enhance the support that health visitors offer to these families.

This one day Ambassador training event will equip HVs to act as advocates for parents with children who may be autistic. It will introduce resources including: Good Practice Points, Parent Tips, films, case studies, parent and child stories, along with collated research and literature to support a broader knowledge base and provide quality-assured resources that families can be signposted to. Finally, there is a PowerPoint Awareness session that Ambassadors can share with colleagues.

Objectives of the training

To raise awareness of the specific needs of families of children with autism
To understand what a child’s behaviour is communicating, and how to support families
To apply learning to wider early intervention with all families
To be aware of evidence-based practice for HVs in this subject
To be able to access resources to consolidate learning and support practice

Further information on Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassador Training

Book your place today

Demand is high – so don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassador Training

Date: 18 May 2022
Time: 09:00-16:30
Location: Online via Zoom

Cost: iHV Members: £200
Non-Members: £225

How to book

To apply, send your completed application form to [email protected]

Download Application Form

Further information on Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassador Training

Participant feedback:

“ Thank-you. The training was amazing.”

“The views and feeling of those with autism were insightful and useful. After all, who better to tell us what a lived experience is like than those living it!”

“I feel all health visiting and early years staff should attend this training. It can make a positive impact on practice”

“I was blown away by all the information in this toolkit. It really is going to be beneficial for myself and my colleagues to use”

“The information contained in this kit is very informative and has changed my practice, just what we need to support children with autism”

“I feel more confident to offer parents possible strategies to cope with their child’s distressed behaviour”

“I will be listening better to parents when they share concerns and try to unpick with them more what they are experiencing with their child”

Bookings open for May 2022 PIMH Champions Training

Bookings open for 11 and 12 May 2022

This is an opportunity to book a place on our hosted training event which provides an opportunity for individual practitioners to complete our programme.

Our multi-agency Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Champions training programme is designed to improve family mental health by:

increasing competence and confidence in perinatal and infant mental health practice
developing place-based leadership for perinatal and infant mental health across complex systems of care
raising awareness of the importance of perinatal and infant mental health across the workforce

Date and Time:

Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 May 2022 (both days to be attended)
09:00-16:30 online – log in from 08:45

Cost of places:

£415 – iHV Member (membership number required for booking)
£450 – Non-member

Download and read PIMH Champions Training Information for Participants - May 2022

How do I apply?

Download Application Form for Hosted iHV PIMH Champions Training - May 2022

Please send your completed application form to [email protected]

Bookings open for Neonatal Families Ambassadors Training

Bookings open for Tuesday 26 April 2022

This is an opportunity to book a place on our hosted Neonatal Families Ambassadors Training event which provides an opportunity for individual practitioners to complete our programme.

iHV has been supported by the Tiny Lives Trust to develop a programme of training for health visitors to be “Neonatal Families Ambassadors” for their areas. The training has been co-produced by parents and professionals to support health visitors in their role with families.

Who is it for?

Qualified health visitors with an interest in preterm and sick babies, and staff development.

Date and Time:

Tuesday 26 April 2022
09:00-16:30 online – log in from 08:45

Cost of places:

£200 – iHV Member (membership number required for booking)
£225 – Non-member

Download and read Neonatal Ambassadors Training Information for Participants - April 2022

How do I apply?

Download Application Form for Hosted Neonatal Ambassadors Training - April 2022

Please send your completed application form to [email protected]

New opportunity with iHV – Training and Mental Health Team Administrator

New and exciting opportunity with the Institute

Are you:

An ambitious administrator with an engaging online presence, looking for a stimulating and varied work opportunity?
Looking for an exciting role providing central support to a dynamic team providing nationally recognised training?
Organised and systematic in your approach to work and able to work remotely without direct supervision?

If yes, then come join us. This is an excellent opportunity to join the Institute of Health Visiting, the leading Centre of Excellence for health visiting, as our Training & Mental Health Administrator to support the organisation of our training events and meetings, acting as technical coordinator (hosting online training events and Forum meetings), and providing specific support for the mental health team and wider iHV team activity. Provision of national training is an important function of the work undertaken by the Institute and provides important income for the iHV, which is a charity.

This exciting new combined post is offered to grow our virtual training capacity and meet the increased administration needs arising from the growing demand for our training, while providing an opportunity for the right candidate to become part of the valued administration team at the Institute.

We are seeking applicants who enjoy varied work and are good self-starters with excellent personal drive. You will need to be able to work efficiently remotely, without direct supervision, as well as collaboratively as part of a busy team in the office. You will have experience in the use of online meeting platforms and a confident presence in the virtual space.

As the Training & Mental Health Administrator, you will work alongside the current iHV Training Administrator and will oversee the day-to-day administration of our regular multi-agency training events – ensuring that the systematic preparation and robust liaison with all parties supports delivery at the highest standard by our trainers, in order to meet our contractual obligations to our stakeholders (funders and paying participants). A key part of the role is also providing technical coordination for our virtual training events. This hosting role is central to the success of our live online training and ensures a very positive training experience for the participants, where you will welcome them to the virtual space and assist with any issues.

The post will suit candidates who are organised, systematic in their approach to work and are excellent communicators. Your work will support the roles of the iHV Training Programme Lead and iHV Mental Health Lead, and you will be supported by a fantastic team including the iHV Training Programme Manager, iHV Training Administrator, iHV Digital & Marketing Intern and a host of wonderful iHV Professional Development Officers in the Mental Health team.

This post will offer the right candidate a unique opportunity to enjoy a job that provides a real variety of tasks, which contributes to the delivery of highly acclaimed and nationally recognised training, while working on alongside a really committed and dynamic team.

Applications close: 9am Friday 23 July 2021.

Interviews: Tuesday 3 August 2021.

For further details, job description and how to apply

Emotional Wellbeing at Work update

“The iHV Emotional Wellbeing Group was a bit of a lifeline for me during a very challenging period…. I was in effect, firefighting …and feeling completely overwhelmed. Most weeks I entertained thoughts of resigning…. I found the course instrumental in holding me when I was wavering about my ability to do my job. I learned to be kinder and more accepting of myself and in doing so was able to expect that others would do the same. I think the course also empowered me to prioritise the wellbeing of those I care for as well as myself”

(iHV Group Participant)

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the iHV State of Health Visiting survey 2019 (published in February 2020) had identified that health visitors were already struggling to cope with the demands placed on their stretched services. However, the pandemic escalated this rapidly, and a further paper surveyed 740 health visitors in England – finding that 68% reported their stress levels at work had increased over the past year, 66% feeling more stressed, worried, tense and anxious generally (Conti and Dow, 2020).

There is a well-evidenced link between staff wellbeing and quality of care delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that “keeping all staff protected from chronic stress and poor mental health during this response means that they will have a better capacity to fulfil their roles” (WHO, 2020).

We applied for, and are grateful for, the grant received from the COVID support fund from the RCN Foundation. The funding meant that we were able to offer a new Emotional Wellbeing at Work (EWW) virtual programme, aimed at supporting a number of health visitors in the workforce.

The programme was designed as a series of six group support sessions with five places offered to up to 12 organisations. The groups were facilitated by experienced facilitators and ran between October 2020 and March 2021. The EWW programme methodology mirrors health visiting practice by utilising a range of strengths-based, reflective and restorative approaches. These were outlined in the Journal of Health Visiting (Development of the Emotional Wellbeing at Work Virtual Programme to support UK health visiting teams – Baldwin, Stephen, Bishop and Kelly – December 2020). 58 practitioners in total attended the programme, including health visitors from organisations in Wales and Scotland.

Emotional Wellbeing at Work

The overall aim of the EWW programme was to improve staff wellbeing by reducing their levels of stress and anxiety, helping them gain and/or maintain a sense of control and professional self-worth, and providing support to build capacity to cope better with work demands through six facilitated group sessions. Findings from the preliminary evaluation demonstrated positive outcomes in relation to these aims (Baldwin et al, 2020). A further paper outlining in full the early evaluation findings has been accepted for publication in Primary Health Care Journal and is expected to be published in the later Spring.

The iHV has subsequently received additional funding from a separate application to the COVID Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA), with the aim to improve sustainability and reach of the programme by developing and implementing a “Champions” cascade model. This brand new and exciting Emotional Wellbeing at Work Champions training is due to start in June 2021.

Please contact [email protected] for more information

Develop Emotional Wellbeing at Work Champions within your organisation

We are delighted to be able to offer organisations the opportunity to develop Emotional Wellbeing at Work Champions – funded places.

This is an amazing chance, only available to a small number of organisations due to the limited number of places on offer – limited to 2 places per organisation.

Emotional Wellbeing at Work

We are thrilled to share that the COVID Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA), a subsidiary of the RCN Foundation, has awarded funding to enable us to develop and deliver a programme creating 24 Emotional Wellbeing at Work (EWW) Champions in health visiting teams across the UK. Champions will be trained to deliver our evidence-based programme of emotional wellbeing at work to groups of health visitors (HVs) and HV staff working within their own organisations.

The aim is that the EWW Champions will provide a cascade of emotional support groups within their teams as part of the development programme, with ongoing support and supervision provided by our team during this period.

Recent research has highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing and mental health of health visiting staff (Conti & Dow 2020):

68% of respondents reported an increase in stress levels at work over the past year
Of these 37% reported they would leave their posts if they could

What is the timescale and commitment for the EWW Champions programme?

June – November 2021 – EWW Champions attend a total of 7 experiential learning group sessions, whereby they experience the support they are being trained to offer. The sessions will include a planning session to allow them to set up their own cascade of group sessions with their EWW Champion partner from their organisation.
November 2021 – March 2022 – EWW Champions commence offering the series of 6 EWW support group sessions to their colleagues. One-to-one support from the our EWW Facilitators is available to the end of the programme in March 2022.
January – March 2022 – EWW Champions attend monthly group supervision sessions with our EWW Facilitators to share successes with their cohort and problem-solve / seek support to issues. This supports their continued development as group facilitators as well as providing essential supervision support for them as part of the process.
In total 10 sessions are attended in the period of the programme (June 2021 to March 2022), and there is an expectation that the Champion will go on to deliver 6 group sessions to their colleagues from November 2021 onwards.

How many people will attend each session?

The number of champions in each group will be capped at 12 to ensure that the sessions are safely managed for all. Groups are closed which means that the same participants and facilitators will be at each session.

How will delegates attend the programme sessions?

The sessions are offered via Zoom platform – this has worked really well as part of a wider programme delivered for the RCN Foundation by the iHV last year.
Delegates will need a laptop with a working webcam and microphone to attend. They will also need access to a private space to protect confidentiality of the groups.
Delegates will also need their manager’s support for their attendance at all 10 sessions (between June 2021 and March 2022) and also support for delegates to roll out similar wellbeing sessions x 6 to their colleagues between December to February as part of the programme.

How to find out more or book places for your organisation?

Interested in developing Emotional Wellbeing at Work Champions within your organisation? Please email [email protected] to find out more or to book your organisation’s places.

New opportunity with iHV – Training Programme Manager

New and exciting opportunity with the Institute

Are you:

An ambitious health visitor with an interest in professional development and training, looking for a stimulating and varied development opportunity?
Committed to 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 providing practitioners with the training opportunities and evidence to drive improvements in practice?

If yes, then come join us. This is an excellent opportunity to join the iHV, the leading Centre of Excellence for health visiting, as our Training Programme Manager to support the further development of our iHV training functions, and particularly to support the iHV Training Programme Lead and wider team activity. This exciting new post is offered to increase the capacity and grow our training team, while providing an opportunity for the right candidate to grow their career within the Institute.

We are seeking applicants who can demonstrate a track record of managing and coordinating projects or managing multiple programmes of work. They will have excellent communication skills to liaise directly with course participants and wider stakeholders linked to iHV training commissions. As the Training Programme Manager, you will work alongside the current iHV Training Programme Lead and will oversee the day-to-day coordination of our regular multi-agency training events, ensuring that these are delivered to the highest standard and meet our contractual obligations to our stakeholders (commissioners, grant funding bodies and individual customers as participants).

Candidates must have SCPHN registration and experience as a mentor or practice teacher, and ideally some experience of iHV training delivery (e.g. as an iHV Champion). You will need significant personal drive and the ability to work well remotely and without direct supervision.

The post will suit candidates who work well with systems and people, have excellent organisation skills, are good communicators, and can identify risk and produce high quality reports. Your work will support the role of the iHV Training Programme Lead, and you will be supported by a fantastic team including the iHV Training Administrator, iHV Technical Coordinator and iHV Digital & Marketing Intern.

This post will offer the right candidate a unique opportunity to develop their interest in professional development and project management type work, working at a national level alongside a really committed and dynamic team.

Applications close: 8am -Thursday 27 May 2021
Interviews: Thursday 3 June 2021

For further details, job description and application form

Bookings open for Multi-Agency Fathers and PMH Champions training!

We’re delighted to share that bookings for our Multi-Agency Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health Champions training taking place on 29 April are open.

Our Multi-Agency Fathers & PMH Champions training programme is designed to improve family mental health by:

increasing competence and confidence in perinatal mental health practice, working with a whole family inclusive approach
developing place-based leadership for fathers / partners mental health issues in the perinatal period
raising awareness of the significance of fathers / partners wellbeing for the whole family with the workforce

We are delighted this event on 29 April will be co-delivered by Kieran Anders – Project Manager of Dad Matters and a nationally respected voice in this important area of mental health.

The new online delivery format models our highly acclaimed face-to-face programme for PIMH and will equip Champions with the necessary understanding, knowledge and competence to lead on fathers’ perinatal mental health in their local areas.

Date: 29 April 2021, 09:00-16:15

£225 – iHV Member (membership number required for booking)
£250 – Non-member

For more details and how to apply

New opportunity – Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Trainer

The iHV is seeking to appoint a part-time Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Trainer to support delivery of the iHV award-winning UK-wide training programmes, either face-to-face or virtually (as currently being delivered), as well as supporting a wide range of evolving workstreams across the Mental Health portfolio.

The post holder will be an experienced trainer, including as a perinatal/infant mental health Champion, and with experience of delivering training to multi-professional groups. They will contribute to the evaluation of the delivery of the programmes. They will be home-based and the post will include pre-planned travel and overnight stays in other areas to support training.

A confident self-starter, they will be passionate about the contribution that health visiting can make to reducing the impact of perinatal mental illness and improving the public’s health.

The post holder will have well-established local PIMH networks and able to demonstrate engagement with national level activities in the field of PIMH.

This a part-time position – 0.4 or 8 days a month with possibility of additional days some weeks by arrangement. This is 1-year fixed-term contract with probability of extension.

Applications close: Thursday 17 December 2020

Interviews: Monday 21 December 2020 (please keep this clear)

For further details, job description and how to apply