Health Visitor

Health Visitors are specialist community Public Health Nurses, who work with parents and children. The support they provide is essential in making sure children get the best start in life.

You will work with children and their families to identify health or developmental needs, promote health and wellbeing, and work to reduce inequality by ensuring that all children receive the support they need. This is a rewarding and inspiring role, where you could work with families 1:1, in community centres and with groups of other professionals.

Health Visitor is also known as Public health nurse.

Role Characteristics

Support parents and carers during their transition to parenthood in the weeks following the birth of their baby
Provide support and advice with breast feeding, infant feeding and healthy eating for young children
Assess children’s growth and development needs
Promote the best start in speech, language and communication including identifying any additional support needs
Support parents and childrens mental health
Advise on minor illness, home safety, safe sleep and accident prevention

Skills

Active listening
Advice giving
Empathy
Observation
Taking initiative
Communication

Day in the life

Watch this video to find out more about being a Health Visitor.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

BTEC

A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Degree apprenticeship

Postgraduate degree

How to become

You will normally need 5 GCSEs including English, maths and sciences. You will normally need 3 A-Levels in a relevant field. You will then need to complete an undergraduate degree in Nursing or Midwifery.

To apply for the specialist Health Visitor training programme, known as the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visiting, you need to be a registered Midwife or Nurse and have two years experience.

It is important to check your preferred course provider's entry requirements for guidance.

To practice as a Health Visitor, you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care.

You could go into teaching within the community, working as a practice assessor or supporting clinical academic research. Or you could move into an academic position as a lecturer or researcher at a university.