Good neighbours no substitute for health visitors in child neglect
cases
25th February 2009
Good neighbours are no substitute for trained and experienced
health visitors when it comes to child neglect cases, Unite, the
largest union in the country, said today (Wednesday, 25
February).
Unite, which embraces the Community and Practitioners’ and
Health Visitors’ Association, was commenting on a new Action
for Children survey which said that 25 per cent of adults admit to
having worried about a child they feared could be the victim of
neglect.
But many of those adults failed to report their suspicions for a
number of reasons, including a fear of repercussions; believing it
was none of their business; and not having enough proof.
Dr Cheryll Adams, Unite lead professional officer, strategy
& practice development, said: "We fully support the importance
of strong communities and good neighbours, but as this report
demonstrates so clearly they are no substitute for a strong
universal health visiting service which regularly visits
families."
Dr Adams’ remarks come against a backdrop of a full-time health
visitor job being lost every 27 hours, according to the NHS’ own
statistics, and Unite questioning the vagueness of the number of
more health visitors promised earlier this month by the
government’s Healthy lives, better futures.
Dr Adams said: "Working with children suffering from neglect is
very sensitive and difficult work, especially when it is emotional
neglect. This is why having a well resourced universal health
visiting service is so important, allowing the health visitor
enough time to establish a relationship with the family, so that
any deviation from the norm is picked up early.
"We need to be very careful that a raft of new, but less
qualified, health and childcare staff are not created to do a job
which health visitors have the education and the experience to do
properly, if only their service was adequately invested in. 'Health
visiting' is a trusted and very long standing brand with
parents."
ENDS
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
For further information, please ring: Cheryll Adams, lead
professional officer, strategy & practice development, 07712
678 281, Obi Amadi, lead professional officer, policy &
external affairs 07780 955 936, Karen Reay, national officer,
health 07798 531 004, Shaun Noble, communications officer (health
sector) 020 7420 8951 or 07768 693 940
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