Main description:

This timely and relevant new edition of an established and well–regarded text is essential reading for those training to become health visitors and those who are practitioners working with and in the community. Health Visiting: A Rediscovery has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the many new developments in health policy, public health priorities and health visiting practice. The focus of the book, however, remains the same: placing the health visitor at the forefront of supporting and working with children and families, ensuring the child has the best possible start in life. The increasing importance of working with communities and reaffirming the public health role of the health visitor are discussed and debated. The new edition takes into account the challenges and increasing need for health visitors to engage with research evidence and to evaluate their practice.

Key features:

• Incorporates the practice of public health and working with communities


• Includes a brand new chapter on the importance of safeguarding children and the enhanced child protection role of the health visitor


• Timely and topical


• Essential reading for all nurses working in the community, those training as Specialist Community Public Health Nurses and undergraduate students undertaking public health, primary and community care course units


• Features case studies and learning activities

Contents:

List of Contributors ix

Introduction 1

1 Managing Knowledge in Health Visiting 9
Kate Robinson

Introduction 9

Defining health visiting practice 11

What do health visitors do and where do they do it? 12

Evidence–based medicine 16

The current landscape of evidence–based practice 22

Refuting evidence–based practice 22

So does it work and if not, why not? 24

Redefining evidence–based practice 25

Managing knowledge and evidence in practice 27

Case study 1.1: National policy–making in relation to inequalities in health 27

Case study 1.2: Introducing new technology 28

Case study 1.3: Creating guidelines in primary care 30

Case study 1.4: Protocol–based decision–making in nursing 31

Case study 1.5: Knowledge management in primary care 32

Lessons from the case studies 33

Communities of practice 35

Reflective practice 37

Clients: what do they know and how do they know it? 40

Social networking sites 41

The debate 44

Summary 46

References 46

Appendix 1: Activities for Chapter 1 49

2 Health Visiting: Context and Public Health Practice 52
Martin Smith and Maria Horne

Introduction 52

Public health 55

Defining public 55

Defining health 56

Defining public health 58

Human rights and public health 62

The principles of health visiting 66

The search for health needs 66

The stimulation of an awareness of health needs 67

The influence on policies affecting health 68

The facilitation of health enhancing activities 69

Health inequalities 71

Summary 78

References 79

Appendix 2: Activities for Chapter 2 83

3 The Community Dimension 85
Rosamund Bryar and Jean Orr

Introduction 85

Defining community 86

Impact of communities on health 89

The role of health visitors with communities 94

Gaining an understanding of the health of your local community 101

Windshield survey 102

Public health walk 102

Health needs assessment 103

Using health promotion models to support community working 110

Summary 113

References 113

Appendix 3: Activities for Chapter 3 117

4 Approaches to Supporting Families 120
Karen I. Chalmers

Introduction 120

Models of intervention in family life 121

Three models relevant to health visiting practice in families with young children 122

Application of models in practice 125

Policies 126

Evidence for interventions to support families 128

Characteristics of programmes to support families with young children 129

Early home visiting programmes 130

Current home visiting programmes 132

Family Nurse Partnership Programme 132

Flying Start Wales 136

Starting Well Scotland 137

The Triple P Programme Positive Parenting Programme 139

Sure Start Programmes 140

Working with families 145

Empirical evidence on relationship development 147

Challenges 149

Public health agenda 149

Level of evidence 150

Adhering to the programme criteria 150

High needs families 151

Practice specialisation 151

Concerns about child safety 152

Adequate resources 152

Summary 153

References 153

Appendix 4: Activities for Chapter 4 160

5 Safeguarding Children: Debates and Dilemmas for Health Visitors 163
Julianne Harlow and Martin Smith

Introduction 163

The key concepts 165

Defining child 165

Defining childhood 167

Defining safeguarding 168

Defining child abuse 173

Defining significant harm 179

Incidence and prevalence of child abuse 182

Assessment of vulnerable children 186

The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families 186

Common Assessment Framework (CAF) 188

Graded Care Profile 190

Working together 190

Confidentiality and information sharing 192

Supervision 193

Summary 197

References 198

Appendix 5: Activities for Chapter 5 202

6 Evaluating Practice 205
Karen A. Luker and Gretl A. McHugh

Introduction 205

Sources of evidence 206

Evaluation the problem of definition 209

Conceptualising evaluation 210

The care planning process 214

Actual and potential problems 215

Evaluation and evaluative research 217

Evaluation of healthcare 218

Structure, process and outcome evaluation 219

Additional issues in evaluating the practice of health visiting 227

Record–keeping 231

Problem–orientated recording 232

Summary 235

References 236

Appendix 6: Activities for Chapter 6 239

Bibliography 243

Index 266