What is similar to a health visitor?

[pancakes22]

I am really interested in working with perinatal mental health and supporting new mamas and their babies like a health visitor but I just couldn't go for 4 years at uni to become one!

Does anyone know of any support roles that maybe working alongside health visitors or anything similar that can support new mums?

I want to be able to provide reassurance they are doing okay and to help them get through whatever they are going through.

Community Nursery Nurses work in HV support roles where I am.

I've forgotten what theyre called but the health support role you get in hospital alongside nurses and midwives

I am a health visitor and love my job, but appreciate that 4 years at uni is a long time. Where I work, the perinatal mental health team have nursery nurses in their team to support women with perinatal mental illnesses.

Breastfeeding support? Or through the children's centre

If there is a mother and baby unit, perhaps a clinical support worker or nursery nurse, but you’d need training and experience. You can’t train directly to be a hv either 4 years to be a nurse then some places like experience pre specialist training - they do in my area. Then 1 yr to 18 months to train before you’re qualified. Perhaps training as a mental health nurse with a specialist interest in perinatal mental health. I have a friend who is very interested in this due to personal experience. There might be others to work in similar fields who can direct you better but nice to hear of people who wanting to make a difference. I couldn’t do that job - am paeds trained.

That's really interesting thank you. I very naively thought a nursery nurse was something who worked in a nursery not with new mamas! Will look into it thank you

Another here suggesting nursery nursing, you'd be amazed at what jobs are available for trained Nursery nurses! In fact what you are looking for is exactly what I would love to do. I applied for a job in a Mother and Baby unit a few years ago as a Nursery nurse, didn't get it but would love to try again if the role appeared again

I've just looked up a job description and it sounds brilliant! I really like that there seems to be an emphasis on the mum too as I just presumed that because you need a childcare qualification it would be like working in a childcare setting but actually supporting the mum to look after the child sounds so rewarding!

Nursery nurse within the the health visiting skill mixed team is exacrly what your looking for or perhaps also a family worker for the council within the children centre. They often work with health visitors and support families. X

@pancakes22

I've just looked up a job description and it sounds brilliant! I really like that there seems to be an emphasis on the mum too as I just presumed that because you need a childcare qualification it would be like working in a childcare setting but actually supporting the mum to look after the child sounds so rewarding!

Try if you can to get yourself a bit of work experience in that area, maybe volunteering with people with Mental health conditions etc. These jobs are highly sought after and you could do with something extra to offer them, to really make you stand out.

Good luck!

I do some volunteering supporting women by email with post natal depression but no childcare experience. Is it better to get experience with the mums or the babies? Now just that issue of getting a job that needs an NVQ but not being able to do an NVQ without a job!

Home start is a voluntary organisation that sounds like it would be suitable for you…

Family support worker with SS?