Health Visitors

What happens in the first few years of a child’s life can shape their whole life.

Our Healthy Child Team work with young people, children and families, ensuring children are able to reach their full potential and have the best possible start in life.

York's Healthy Child Service delivers information, advice and support for children and parents and of children aged 0 to 19 years old.

The Healthy Child Service incorporates York's Health Visiting and School Nursing Services and works with families, young people and children up to the age of 19. The team works across the city covering the North, East and West of York from 3 locality bases.

Contact York Healthy Child Service. Service Hours are Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm. Contact us by:

• telephone: 01904 555475
• email: [email protected]

Everyone can expect from the 0 to 11-year-old Healthy Child Service team:

• an antenatal contact offered to all pregnant women and partners (usually after 28 weeks gestation)
• a new baby review contact
• child's 6 to 8 weeks old review contact
• a child's 3 to 4-month-old contact
• a child’s 9 to 12-month-old health review contact
• a child’s 2-year-old health review contact
• telephone advice and support between 9.00am and 4.30pm
• use of any child health clinic across the City of York Council
• face-to-face, video and telephone contacts
• use of baby lye down only scales at the children’s centres across the city
• infant feeding advice and support
• emotional wellbeing advice and support
• reception aged vision and hearing screening and National childhood measurement programme (NCMP) offered to all reception age children attending mainstream schools in York
• vision and hearing screening offered to reception aged children attending independent schools
• reception aged health needs questionnaire. This is offered to all parents and carers of reception aged children attending mainstream school in York. Identification of needs if followed up by the Healthy Child Service Team
• year 3 health needs contact postcard. This is offered to year 3 pupils attending mainstream school in York
• year 6 transitions class-based session, health needs questionnaire and National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). This is offered to year 6 classes at mainstream schools in York
• help and support when needed

The Health Visiting Team provide information and support about:

• the health and wellbeing of your whole family, including support for parents or carers mental health
• healthy choices, with special knowledge of breastfeeding and healthy eating
• children’s behaviour, including sleeping, toilet training, eating, tantrums, emotional wellbeing and mental health
• targeted and specialist support such as development and health needs, sleep, diet, toilet training, parenting support for behaviour and continence
• feeling confident in your parenting skills and to provide the best opportunities for your baby
• immunisations and childhood infections or illness and common skin problems and accident prevention
• your child getting ready for school

The Healthy Child Service also:

• offer HENRY (Healthy Families Programme) this is for 5-year-olds and under by referral
• offer growth and development reviews and support to ensure your child is reaching their full potential, this also includes language development and early learning and can refer to specialist services if required
• offer parenting workshops
• offer support and information to families experiencing specific difficulties such as postnatal depression, social isolation and domestic abuse
• offer Perinatal mental health listening visits to mothers up to 1 year following birth of child
• review health assessments for children in care in York
• work in partnership with partner agencies to support families with additional needs

We also have a duty of care and work jointly with other groups, including schools, children’s services and children’s charities, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children so they are protected from significant harm.

Have your say!

We would love to hear from you with comments or suggestions about developing or improving our service. Please discuss with your health visitor team or speak to a manager by telephone: 01904 555475 from 9.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Let us know how we can improve our service by completing the online anonymous feedback survey.

Confidentiality

We provide a confidential service, this means that we will not discuss your health information with anyone else without your permission. However, we do encourage young people to talk with their families.

There may be occasions when we're concerned for a young person’s safety and this may require us to share this information with relevant agencies.

Electronic Health Record

We record your health information using a secure electronic health system called System One – all staff who work in the City of York Healthy Child Service have access to this information but are bound to keep this information confidential.

Information sharing

We keep the Healthy Child Service Privacy Notice under review.

We ask that you read this privacy notice as it contains information about what we do with the data that is provided on this form.

We only share information with those who need to know and will discuss this with you beforehand. We share contact details and information regularly with GPs, Midwives, Children’s Centre’s, and school health staff. Occasionally we will share relevant information with Social Services, however, whenever possible, this will be discussed beforehand.

There may be special circumstances when it is necessary to share information without your permission. For example, if we believe you or your child is at risk of harm.