Health Visitor

Health Visitors are a valued part of our Public Health Nursing Service. They work with children and their families to make healthy lifestyle choices. They lead the Healthy Child Programme and use their professional skills to assess targeted and specialist work.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills and be able to build effective working relationships with a wide range of people. They will demonstrate excellent time management and organisational skills, which underpin a resilient, brave and connected mind set. The ability to travel throughout the Borough is essential and therefore a car driver would be preferable.

Job description

Work as a Specialist within the Public Health Nursing team, having continuous responsibility for a named caseload to deliver specialised support and services to children and families and the community within defined standards.

Work with children, young people and their parents or carers to complete a range of health, neurodevelopmental and social assessments, utilising specialist knowledge, and accountable for the onward referral to secondary and tertiary specialists as required.

Assess, plan and provide interventions, care based on specialist knowledge and needs to support families with young children though planned ante-natal contacts, primary contacts and negotiated home visits and clinic contacts.

Lead practitioner and responsible for planning and organising mandated activities and interventions related to the Healthy Child Programme.

Lead practitioner and responsible for planning and organising additional, targeted support for children and families as appropriate.

Lead practitioner and responsible for planning and organising and adjusting the delivery of specialist individual needs led care packages in partnership with other relevant agencies.

Employ advanced communication skills in interventions in sensitive and emotive areas, including use of motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy techniques.

Counsel and advise individuals, families and groups on specific health topics.

To monitor growth and development and provide developmental assessments to vulnerable children based on identified needs.

To promote positive Maternal Mental Health through working within the Peri-natal Pathway, assessing maternal mental health.

Design and develop programmes of care to address behaviour management issues, in partnership with families, individuals and carers.

To plan and organise home visits as appropriate as a lone worker or in conjunction with other professionals across internal and external multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams.

Provide practice development opportunities for own team and partner organisation.

Responsible for recognising, assessing and holding professional risk-based complex decisions.

Provide statutory support to children and families, including the provision of information, advice, assessment, support planning and safeguarding in line within statutory guidance and Council policy and procedures.

Work in partnership with voluntary sector organisations, partners and others to provide integrated and coordinated support to residents and families in the community.

Participate and represent Public Health Nursing services in safeguarding meetings including strategy, child in need or child protection meetings, contributing through written and verbal reports or attendance as appropriate. Ensuring you advocate for the child's needs at all times.

Make recommendations on procedural, process and service improvements and carry out projects to enhance overall team and service performance.

Recognise monitor and hold risk appropriately, using expert knowledge to minimise risk within the scope of this role and then escalating issues to more senior colleagues when necessary to ensure that situations are addressed at the earliest possible time.

Operate effectively within and contribute to the development of organisations and services, including multi-agency and inter-professional settings.

Any other duties and or accountabilities commensurate with the roles seniority to meet the needs of residents, through the application of relevant knowledge, skills and experience within the specialism of the role.

Person specification

Experience

Essential

• Substantial post-registration experience in relevant area of practice.
• To have the ability to translate complex information into an appropriate format that may be understood by individual clients.
• To have the ability to negotiate with and motivate children, young people and their families to engage with appropriate services.
• Knowledge of relevant legal obligations relating to social care, health, and wellbeing, in addition to the policies, processes and procedures governing the service area, including implementing evidence-based practice.
• Full driving license and access to a car for work.

Aptitudes, Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Ability to plan and organise own work across weeks and months, with a clear understanding of how own work affects others across the organisation.
• Excellent communication skills to deal with members of the community, providing specialist advice to residents in differing situations with empathy, and to communicate at different levels across the organisation.

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc (Hons) Nursing or Midwifery or equivalent.
• PGDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing or equivalent.
• Registered Nurse or Midwife on NMC Register.
• Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Health Visitor on NMC Register.

Desirable

• Non-Medical Prescriber.
• Teaching/Mentorship Qualification.

About the employer

At Swindon Borough Council, we want our town to be the best it can be. Our ambitious vision is supported by realistic transformation programmes, with the people of Swindon at their heart. Because thats who were doing it for the communities and businesses that make our town great. As part of the Council, youll support a friendly local authority making decisions with real impact. Its all for better public services. Better processes. And a better quality of life, for everyone. Join us, and Swindon will be better with you.

Candidates must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act for the effective performance of a customer-facing role).

Please note Swindon Borough Council terms and conditions apply to this role.

As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance.

For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. Its why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. So, youll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. Well look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, well achieve our vision of a prosperous, re-vitalised Swindon together. And youll be proud to say it was made better with you.