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To: U.K. Government

❤️ Your Health Visitor, save our services!

This petition calls on the Government to provide additional, ring fenced funding to Local Authorities to enable the proper commissioning of Health Visiting Services in England.
As Health visiting services come under the care of Local Councils this year, councils have had their Public Health budgets cut and many are unable to commit to commissioning Health Visiting going forwards without cuts to their services, down banding and redundancies of Health Visitors.

Why is this important?

Health Visitors provide a service to every child and family. They are Specialist Community Public Health Nurses who care for all under fives from the antenatal period to school age.
Their value is long recognised in the protection of children, child development, growth, promotion of emotional health and wellbeing in parents and children. We support those suffering domestic abuse, in poverty and with complex health needs in any way that protects children and enables them to thrive. health Visitors make a difference to families.
The effectiveness of Health Visiting is well documented. U.K. Government recently trained and recruited 4200 extra SCPHN (Health Visitors) and yet without the funds in Councils many of these Health Visitors may be facing redundancy.
Along with cuts to libraries, Children's Centres and Social Services budgets, the risks to our children are mounting.
In Scotland the devolved Govt has increased the mandated contacts by Health Visitors to 11 in the first 5 years, recognising that the outcomes for children will be better. In England these contacts are only 5 with a real possibility in some areas this will not involve a Health Visitor contact.
Health Visitors support every child, with the emphasis and knowledge that visible children and community support for parenting is the best way of Safeguarding our under 5s.
Health Visiting is 120 years old, babies and yet children require support more than ever right now in these austere times.
Please ask our Government to protect our Children by funding our service.

United Kingdom

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Updates

2016-09-15 07:57:47 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2016-07-21 21:27:35 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2016-07-21 19:11:40 +0100

500 signatures reached

2016-07-21 11:45:26 +0100

100 signatures reached

2016-07-21 09:48:24 +0100

50 signatures reached

2016-07-21 09:06:16 +0100

25 signatures reached

2016-07-21 08:47:32 +0100

10 signatures reached